Commit to be Fit

Going nowhere fast

2012-01-25T17:17:00.000-08:00

Been getting plenty of use out of this lately.

Winter months are normally the time of year when my road bike collects dust in storage and I pursue hobbies that are more conducive to the weather.

It's not necessarily a depressing time for me. I still utilize the outdoors for things like sledding, running and darkhouse spearfishing, plus I look forward to breaking out my new snowshoes once Mother Nature finally decides to send some real snow in Minnesota's direction. Beyond all that, it's also a time when I do a lot more reading and go on multiple Netflix binges (currently working through all nine seasons of "Scrubs"). I've always been a person with multiple interests in life; obsessing about biking year-round wouldn't really be true to my nature.

However, I have to admit that by the time spring rolls around, I find myself longing for my two-wheeled companion. It's the hobby I dedicate the most time to and, judging by the topic of most of my blog posts, it's also the hobby I have the most interest in.

But this year hasn't been like years past. In addition to an unusually mild winter, my biking interests also got a year-round boost by way of a thoughtful Christmas present from my mom: A Schwinn Indoor Bike Trainer.

I've been getting good use out of it pretty much since the end of the holiday season. I pedal about 40 minutes a day on it in the mornings and will occasionally use it to unwind after work. In fact, I've been using it so much that I already had to replace a flat tire from it (I guess bike trainers wear down your rear tire a lot faster than normal riding).

Now, I'll admit that I've never been a huge fan of stationary bikes. The biggest reason I got into cycling was because of the travel one can do with it; the fitness benefits were simply a nice perk. It's the reason why I decided to bike across Iowa or do a 3-day trip to Lanesboro instead of signing up for races. My bike is a tool for adventure as much as it's a tool for fitness.

By that logic, it would seem that an indoor trainer wouldn't be much of a Christmas present for me. After all, there's not a lot of travel that comes with biking in one spot.

On occasion though, logic gets tossed to the wayside when you find yourself yearning for something. When the winter months hit, I miss being able to hop on my bike, turn up my mp3 player and hammer away on those pedals for awhile to help clear my head.

There's a certain level of release I get from biking that, for one reason or another, I'm unable to get with other physical activities. Running is too hard on my joints and swimming is a skill that eludes me (seriously, it's pretty awkward).

I could likely get a lot of the same feeling by going to a gym and hopping on exercise bike, but it wouldn't be EXACTLY the same. For one thing, it requires the effort of going to the gym. It also means being more inhibited with other people around (I confess, sometimes I like to sing along to my mp3 player, don't judge).

But beyond all that, the basic reason that it's not the same is the simple reason that it's not my bike. As avid cyclists can relate, when you ride a particular bike as often as I do, you form a level of comfort with that bike that can't be matched with different equipment. You know every nook and cranny about it, right down to how it shifts, how it handles and what gear you like to be in for a particular situation. It's no different from a baseball player preferring a particular glove or a distance runner preferring a certain brand of shoes.

Thanks to the indoor trainer, I can keep that comfort level going year-round.

Thanks again mom!

*Note: I realize that I could make biking a year-round hobby by buying studded tires and bundling up for rides. But I have two fears about wintertime biking: motorists that can't deal with icy roads and the prospect of having to fix a flat tire in the middle of nowhere out in -20 weather (my reaction to that situation would be something like this).

New year, new beginnings

2011-12-31T14:45:00.000-08:00

Not really conducive to the tone of
my blog post, but I figured my readers
would enjoy a little Calvin & Hobbes.

Well Mankato, it's been fun.

After 3 1/2 years of biking on the Red Jacket Trail and doing training runs up Glenwood Avenue, my residency in the scenic Minnesota River town came to an end yesterday. I am now *mostly* moved in at my new apartment in Faribault and I'll be starting my new job as a page designer for the Faribault Daily News and Northfield News on Jan. 9.

I have mixed emotions about moving away from Kato. I'm obviously not thrilled about leaving the city's blossoming bike culture, as it was a big part of what got me interested in cycling in the first place. I'm also a little downtrodden about moving away from the downtown location I was previously located at. Loud noise from the bars notwithstanding, it was pretty nice to be within walking distance of work, the post office, the grocery store, the library and several decent restaurants.

On a larger scale, it's also a little unnerving to be moving away from a place I've become so accustomed to over the years. I know it's not a good idea to get overly complacent with a situation, particularly in a career as volatile as journalism. But it's hard to avoid when you find so many things to enjoy about a community, which was definitely the case with me in Mankato.

On the other hand, as George Harrison once said: "All things must pass." Despite being nervous about the unknown, I'm excited for the change that comes with a new town and a new job. I don't know much about Faribault aside from its association with the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail, but I'm looking forward to getting acquainted with the community and seeing what the town has to offer. I'm also anxious to continue my career in journalism and get back into a routine that includes work (sorry, but eight weeks of being unemployed is more than enough).

I suppose it's only fitting that the new job and new town would come about at this time of year. New Years has always been a time of new beginnings and resolutions to better yourself in the coming year.

It's too early to tell if I'll grow fond of Faribault like I did with Mankato, but my resolution for 2012 is to make the best of the situation and put forth my best effort at my new job.

Happy New Years everyone!

***Note: With my new location, the focus of my blog will shift from being Mankato-centric to being more oriented toward Faribault readership. However, due to the two towns relative proximity to one another, I will be sure to keep my readers updated if any big news happens out of Mankato in the health & fitness realm.

Mankato city planners looking for bike route input

2011-12-15T16:42:00.000-08:00

Even the most pessimistic cycling advocate would have a hard time denying the progress Mankato has made as a bike-friendly community in recent years.

In addition to adding several in-town bike paths, city planners built the Minneopa trail last year and the Greater Mankato Convention & Visitors Bureau released a trail map earlier this year complete with suggested area bike loops.

Aside from that, the Greater Mankato Bike & Walk Advocates verified cycling interest in the area with the successful Mankato River Ramble this past October. The inaugural tour ride drew more than 1,500 participants and drew rave reviews from all participants.

The League of American Cyclists recognized Mankato's efforts this past spring by awarding them with honorable mention status as a bike-friendly community. A prestigious honor no doubt, but Mankato city planners and bike advocates are looking for more next year.

"That really helped us assess where we're at as a bike-friendly community," Greater Mankato Bike & Walk Advocate founder Tom Engstrom said. "They told us what we need to improve on, and the city is taking steps to do that."

A big part of that step has been the city planners providing a large poster board map of Mankato for cyclists to draw out their regular bike routes with markers. According to Engstrom, the objective of the map is for city planners to get an idea of where cyclists regularly ride in Mankato. From there, the city will use the input to determine whether it's appropriate to label bike lanes on those routes.

Greater Mankato Multisport Club founder Chris Crocker said that local bike advocates are also looking into posting signs throughout the city directing cyclists to the various trail systems in town.

"We're hoping to go to the city with ideas of how to have better signage in Mankato and North Mankao," Crocker said. "The trail system infrastructure has already been built. But since the trails aren't all connected, there's no signage to help you find anything if you're not familiar with the area."

The poster board map had previously been available to cyclists at Flying Penguin Outdoor Sports and will be on hand at the Bike and Walk Street Film Festival, which will take place from 1-4 p.m. on January 14 at the Blue Earth County Library.

The festival, hosted by the Greater Mankato Bike & Walk Advocates, is open to the public and will feature about an hours worth of short videos on other bike-friendly communities. Engstrom hopes the viewing will help spark a brainstorming session from those in attendance.

"It'll be cool to watch them as a group," Engstrom said of the videos. "It'll help us learn how things work elsewhere and it might give us some ideas of things we can do here."

After the videos, an open forum will be held where those in attendance can make suggestions on how Mankato can make itself a better community for non-motorized commuters. Area cyclists will also have a chance to mark down some last-minute routes on the map, as Engstrom plans to present the map and the results of the forum to city officials shortly after the festival.

Immediately following the festival, Engstrom and other cyclists plan on going on a short bike ride through town that will likely end at Pub 500 for drinks and social hour.

Both Engstrom and Crocker expect a good turnout for the event and also expect the community's input to have a major impact on city planning in the near future.

"You have to give the city a lot of credit," Crocker said. "People want the community to be more friendly to bikers and pedestrians and the officials are listening."

For more information, contact Tom Engstrom at tje1947@gmail.com.

It's beginning to look a lot like...mid October?

2011-12-13T14:25:00.000-08:00

Like most Minnesotans, I enjoy seeing a little snow around the holiday season.

Snow has always been a symbol of transition for me; the point where fall definitively ends and winter definitively begins. It's the time of year when road bikes and light parkas get traded in for sleds and snowshoes. Besides, poor road conditions be damned, it's nice to look gaze upon some snowy scenery while listening to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas."

But that transition hasn't been nearly as definite this year. Despite a sizable snowstorm earlier this month, the landscape is most predominantly brown with Christmas less than two weeks away. Temperatures are projected to hover around the mid-30's for the rest of the week and the only precipitation in the forecast is (gasp!) rain. The calendar may read "December 13," but as far as weather conditions go, it may as well read "October 13."

The holiday purist in me is aggravated by this decidedly wimpy winter weather. Brown Christmases are meant for palm tree lovers in Florida, not Minnesotans who grew up on snow and hockey.

However, the exercise fanatic in me couldn't be happier with the weather. Instead of workouts taking place exclusively within the confines of a gym, I'm still able to hop on my bike or go for a run if I please. Instead of having to bundle up like this just to go outside, a light jacket or a sweatshirt are still proving to be sufficient. Aside from exercise, it's also nice being able to drive on the road without having to worry the snow and ice that are synonymous with holiday season car accidents.

I can't say that I want the weather to stay like this all winter. But considering how many months there are until spring, I'm ok with this for the time being.

Just for fun, here's a Calvin and Hobbes comic to encapsulate the mood of snow-loving Minnesotans:

Mankato duathlon in the works

2011-11-21T11:55:00.001-08:00

Give Final Stretch's Mark Bongers some credit: The ever-busy race organizer has certainly made his mark on the Mankato area.

Last year, Bongers and Final Stretch introduced the Mankato Marathon to south central Minnesota. Despite being a first-time race, the marathon drew more than 2,000 participants and the admiration of many (myself included) for being a well-ran, first-class event. This past spring, Bongers also brought a trail run to the area, with the inaugural 7 @ 7 race bringing in a respectable 200 competitors.

Next year, Bongers will look to add to that list with the Mankato Duathlon. And if last week's forum at Nicollet South Bike Shop is any indication, it will be every bit as well organized as the other races Final Stretch has brought to the area.

Similar to the forum held during the early planning stages of the Mankato Marathon, the duathlon meeting was open to the public. The turnout was relatively small (about 10-15 people) and the meeting structure was pretty laid back compared to the marathon forum (It was really more of an open discussion instead of attendees being divided up into topic groups), but Bongers was encouraged by the amount of brainstorming in the group.

"These people know a lot more about the city than I do and what will work best for a race," Bongers said of the meeting attendees. "Even if it's just a few people in the room, it's good to get some ideas from local people about what they want to see with the race."

The informal meeting structure can also be attributed to the different type of race Bongers envisions the duathlon being. Unlike the sizable turnout of the marathon, Bongers' goal is to have about 300-400 participants in the duathlon next. The run-bike-run structure of the race also means that the race organizers and city will have more to take into account in terms of course safety.

"It's a very different event when you're comparing a marathon to a multi-sport race," Bongers said. "The process we go about to plan for it is a lot different."

Here are some of the major topics discussed at the meeting:

The date of the duathlon is still to be determined, but the third weekend in May of next year (May 19-20) is the most likely date. Bongers was adamant about the race not taking place at the same time as some of the other major races organized by Final Stretch. Other Final Stretch events scheduled around that time include 7 @ 7 on May 5 and the Cannon Falls Duathlon on April 28. Likewise, the local athletes in attendance also didn't want the race conflicting with some of their traditional races like the Minneapolis Marathon or the Land Between the Lakes Triathlon in Albert Lea.
The race course has also not been finalized yet, but it will likely take place around the MSU area of town. Most in attendance agreed that a bike course in downtown Mankato would be difficult to achieve without causing some serious traffic concerns. The bike course used for the MSU Indoor/Outdoor Triathlon (basically a down-and-back course on Monks Ave) was suggested because the parking lot at MSU is considered to be an ideal transition area. However, Bongers and others in attendance agreed that they want the duathlon course to be unique.
Bongers is less concerned about the traffic implications of the running portions of the course, as those would cover a much smaller area and be much easier to regulate. Both running legs of the race will likely take place on city streets with the both starting and ending at MSU. Bongers said the point of the running legs was to "draw a crowd" and have some good viewing spots, and urban routes will likely provide more of that.
The prevailing thought was to have the race distances be 2-3 miles for the first run, 15-20 miles for the bike, and 2-3 miles for the second run. However, the distances could change depending on what course Bongers and Final Stretch decide on. The two themes that were brought up most often at the forum were to make the duathlon both "urban" and "family-friendly," and Bongers says a major part of the planning will be to mesh those two concepts.
Like other aspects of the race, the entry fees are still very much up in the air. Some in attendance were advocating generous-sized gift bags with each participant getting a medal, while others felt a simple t-shirt would be sufficient. I personally thought a free beer with entry fee (like the Warrior Dash) would've been fun, but that would likely take away from the whole "family-friendly" theme they're going for. General thought was to keep entry fees in the $40-$60 range.
One intriguing idea was to have the race finish with a lap around the running track at MSU, similar to ROTC 5K held there earlier this month. I've never participated in a race with that type of finish, but I'm guessing that would be quite a thrill for competitors.
Another intriguing idea: Getting a local band to perform at the finish line area and possibly having local food vendors putting on a barbecue of some kind. Mankato Multisport leader Chris Crocker and others in attendance want the finish line to be like a party, and that sounds like a party I'd much rather go to as opposed to one serving bagels, bananas and granola bars (usual finish line fare).
After much discussion, it was agreed that there would be no standalone 5K event taking place in conjunction with the duathlon. However, there will likely be a kid's duathlon.
According to Bongers, the next step is to take some of the ideas from the idea and finalize a race day and location. After that, Final Stretch will be able to approach the city with an outline of the help they'll need (i.e. city officials and traffic regulation) on race day.

More information will likely be available on the duathlon in the coming weeks. You can keep up with it by checking either the Greater Mankato Multisport Club website, Final Stretch's website, or my blog.

Renewing old acquaintances

2011-11-16T09:51:00.001-08:00

I consider myself to be a fairly adventurous person. I love new experiences, I embrace the unknown and I enjoy getting out of my comfort zone whenever possible.

It's the reason I decided to bike to Lanesboro this past summer instead of relaxing around my apartment with a few days off. It's also the reason I opted to run in the Warrior Dash instead of any of a number of 5Ks that were cheaper and closer to home.

However, as cool as it is to experience new things, it's also good to revisit old ones from time to time. Incidentally, this post represents a renewing of two old acquaintances for me: the Red Jacket trestle bridge and my blog in general.

As most of my regular readers have probably noticed, I've been relatively absent from the blogosphere lately. There's a couple of reasons for this. For one thing, I signed up for classes at Minnesota State University this fall and have been devoting much of my free time to schoolwork.

The other reason relates to employment status. The harsh economic times forced the Free Press to resort to layoffs recently and tragically, I was one of the casualties.

The Red Jacket trestle bridge is back!

Aside from going through the other processes related to being out of work (job searches, resume updating and applying for unemployment), I've also been grappling with the notion of continuing this blog. The original intent of it was to provide supplemental material for the health & fitness readership of the Free Press, and since I'm no longer an employee of the Free Press, that purpose is now moot. On the flip side of that, the blog does not run through the newspaper's website (it's through Blogger) and my readership has expanded to an audience well beyond the Mankato area (I got an email from a cyclist in Copenhagen this past summer about my experience of grocery shopping on a bike).

So in an effort to maintain my sanity during unemployment, I've decided to revive my blog. I figure there's a reason people enjoy reading it and I think the writing will be therapeutic as I contemplate my next step in life.

Therapeutic use of free time is also what led to reviving my relationship with the Red Jacket trestle bridge. I used to make a regular habit out of biking on the Red Jacket Trail. It's scenic, it's relatively flat and the Dam Store's delicious pies are mere minutes away from it.

The new support pillar of the trestle bridge

was completed earlier this month.

According to the Free Press, It will be

stained to look like the other pillars next spring

However, with the trestle bridge being out of commission due to last year's flood damage, like many cyclists, I turned to other routes for leisurely rides. Red Jacket users could still ride the rest of the trail by crossing the Le Sueur River on Highway 66, but it was inconvenient to do so (steep hills) and the historic trestle bridge was a major reason why the trail was so appealing to begin with.

I figured the trestle wouldn't be ready until next spring, but while getting my bike repaired yesterday, Flying Penguin Outdoor Sports owner Jon Anderson told me that the final deck boards have been installed and the bridge is up and running again. Ecstatic over the news, I rode the Red Jacket Trail this morning, stopped on the bridge and took a few minutes to admire the view.

I never used to stop on the bridge during bike rides. After being on it so many times, it simply became another part of the trail to me. However, after being without the bridge for so long, it felt good to bike across it again and feel those wooden planks clatter against my bike tires.

And after being absent from the blogosphere for so long, it feels good to be back.

40 days of beard-growing goodness

2011-10-19T17:58:00.000-07:00

Race day is almost here for the Mankato Marathon.

Almost everyone participating in this year's race is probably in the midst of tapering and mentally preparing themselves for the big day.

I definitely fit into that category as well, though my tapering had to begin early due a nagging Achilles injury. I've had difficulty going on sizable runs without feeling pain in that area, and most of my longer workouts have been confined to eliptical running machines. I'm not particularly thrilled about relying on elipticals, but I know they're good for maintaining the necessary cardiovascular endurance.

In terms of being ready for the race in a cardiovascular sense, I think I'm good to go. As for the nagging Achilles, we'll just have to wait and see.

Of course, tapering isn't the only thing I'm doing this week in regards to race day. As followers of my blog probably know, I also have a poll people can vote on for what type of facial hair I'll be sporting for the half marathon.

The photo at right was taken today to commemorate 40 days of growing a "runners beard." As it stands, the mutton chops option of the poll is winning by a nose, but voters still have until Friday morning to cast a vote.

Personally, I'm kind of hoping for the mustache to win the poll. I've never sported a mustache before and imagine it would an invigorating experience. However, I will adhere to whatever choice my readers.

Hopefully it will make for some interesting race day photos.

River Ramble photos

2011-10-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

I think it's pretty safe to say that the inaugural Mankato River Ramble was an enormous success. Over 1,500 riders participated in it as they were treated to free food, live music and gorgeous river valley scenery throughout the day. Pretty much the only hitch in the plans was the fact that the two waterfalls along the route (Minneopa and Minnemishinona) were almost nonexistent thanks to the recent dry spell of weather.

Kudos to Tom Engstrom and the other organizers who went to great lengths to make sure this was a first-class event with some serious staying power in the area.

I'll write more about the experience when I have more time to collect my thoughts (busy with midterms this week), but for now here's the photos I took while doing the River Ramble. I couldn't figure out how to make a decent gallery of them, so they're just posted directly to the blog:

A few cyclists wait in line at the registration tent at Land of Memories Park.

Bagels, bananas, grapes and other goodies welcomed riders at the starting point of the River Ramble.

Organic Cowboys perform at Land of Memories Park.

Fabulous Fatheads perform at Minneopa Falls.

This River Ramble participant decided to bring a furry companion along for the ride.

Thepie makers at the Dam Store in Rapidan were kept busy during the River Ramble.The Rapidan Dam Park was the second stop on the ride and the popular eateryprovided free pie to riders throughout the day.

A few riders enjoy their pie while resting at the Rapidan Dam.

The Bockfest Duo performs at the Rapidan Dam.

A few River Ramble participants take a break from the ride to check out the Rapidan Dam.

Tandem bikes were a fairly regular sight on the River Ramble.

A father and daughter pedal their way to Lake Crystal on County Road 9 during the River Ramble

A caution sign warns oncoming motorists of the increased cycling traffic.

A group of riders take a break from the River Ramble to watch the Vikings game and have a few adult refreshments at Weggy's Bar & Grill in Lake Crystal.

A youthful River Ramble participant takes a break from the action at Minneopa Falls.

As you can see, my 6-week quest to grow a runners beard is going fairly well. However, my facial hair is mere stubble compared the ZZ Top-esque beard on my left.

Tweetin' on the River Ramble

2011-10-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

Cycling traffic around town is sure to be busier on Sunday as the inaugural Mankato River Ramble is set to depart from Land of Memories Park at 9 a.m. for a day of live music, river valley scenery, and of course, biking.

The buzz surrounding the first-time group ride has been sizable. According to Mankato Multisport Club, about 1,200 riders have signed up for it so far and that number is likely to be around 1,500 by the time the ride takes place thanks to day-of registrations.

It's not hard to figure out why the inaugural ride has been such a hot ticket. As I've mentioned before, Mankato has a wealth of great bike trails, many of which lead to some of the more picturesque locations in the area (Rapidan Dam, Minneopa Falls and Minnemishinona Falls, to name three). A burgeoning cycling has also emerged in the area thanks to people like Tom Engstrom and the Greater Mankato Bike & Walk Advocates.

And if all of that wasn't enough to draw interest, the ride will also feature some of the area's better live music acts and a few food stops along the way.

As most of my readers can probably guess, I will be among the participants riding in the River Ramble on Sunday. In an effort to keep people updated on how the ride is going, I plan on packing my laptop and posting updates on Twitter throughout the day.

My Twitter feed can be viewed both on the Mankato Free Press website and on the right-hand side of my blog. Click here to view my Twitter account directly.

I'm definitely looking forward to Sunday. It looks like it'll be a fun event.

Vote for my race-day facial hair!

2011-09-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, I've always been a bit of a facial hair fanatic.

This can attributed to both parenting and pop culture. I saw "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams" at least 20 times while growing up and TV in my youth contained such mustached icons as Hulk Hogan, Tom Selleck, Ned Flanders and Super Mario.

My dad has also been a staple of mustache consistency through the years. I don't recall if I've seen him minus a mustache, and if I did, I likely blocked it out of my memory due to shock.

As a result of this mustached upbringing, I have admiration and respect for anyone that pulls off a look that includes facial hair. Some modern-day examples include Kimbo Slice, Giants closer Brian Wilson and Free Press baseball blogger Ed Thoma.

As much as I would like to join the ranks of men who sport a beard on a regular basis, I am held back for a variety of reasons: It looks like crap, it doesn't grow in evenly, it's tedious to groom and, again, it looks like crap.

However, one thing I'm not opposed to is growing it out for a specific race or event. For one thing, it gives the event added significance and symbolism. And if you're getting ready for a marathon, it makes the training more fun and helps take your mind off the pain your legs undoubtedly feel after 20-mile training runs.

The tradition of athletes symbolically growing a beard is long-established. NHL players regularly grow "playoff beards," the offensive linemen for the New England Patriots grew out their beards during the team's near-perfect season in 2007-2008, and normally clean-shaven Forrest Gump let his facial hair run wild during his run across the country.

For the next five-plus weeks, I will be joining that group as I put my razor away and let my facial hair grow for the Mankato Half Marathon on Oct. 22. Call it my "Runners Beard" if you will.

In an effort to both engage my readership and embarrass myself at the same time, I'm going to leave the choice of the my race-day facial hair up to my readers.

On the right-hand side of my blog, you will find a poll with different facial hair options that you can vote on. The poll will be open until the day before the race (Oct. 21), at which time I will tally the votes, break out the razor and fashion my facial hair for the big day.

A couple of notes about the poll:

I tried to keep the options to a precious few, but if you have another suggestion for a different facial hair style, please email it to me and I will consider adding it to the poll. In order to avoid confusion, please refer to this photo as the standard for facial hair terminology.
The option of keeping a full beard has deliberately been left off the list. As much as I enjoy the warmth a beard provides in the cold winter months, I don't think I'd enjoy running 13 miles with it.

If you're still doubting the benefits and joy of facial hair, this might help change your mind.

Breaking down the loops

2011-09-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick recap of the four bike loops listed on the Greater Mankato Visitors Bureau's hiking/bike trail map. Hopefully my regular readers aren't "looped out" after having to suffer through four lengthy blog posts and my column in Monday's paper:

St. Clair/Eagle Lake Loop

Distance: 28.25 miles

Dominant geographical feature: Le Sueur River valley

Best place to eat along the way: Eagle's Nest, though Uptown Tavern has decent prices and free popcorn

Best known point of interest: Probably the Duke Burger at Eagle's Nest, though you might want a group of people with you if you're going to order it

Best kept secret on the route: Wildwood Park and its swinging-foot bridge. Doesn't seem like a lot of people know about that place

Sakatah/Madison Lake Loop

Distance: 14.75 miles

Dominant geographical feature: Lakes, lakes and more lakes

Best place to eat along the way: Trailblazer Bar & Grill

Best known point of interest: Madison Lake and Eagle Lake have some decent swimming areas. There's good fishing in that area too if you want to pack a fishing rod

Best kept secret on the route: Nothing really comes to mind unless you're going to continue east on the Sakatah Trail

Kasota Prairie/St. Peter Loop

Distance: 34 miles

Dominant geographical feature: Tie between the Kasota Prairie and the Minnesota River valley

Best place to eat along the way: For a quick lunch, I'd say River Rock Coffee. For a sit-down meal, I'd say Whiskey River.

Best known point of interest: The aforementioned Kasota Prairie and the Kasota Stone Quarry

Best kept secret on the route: The Amish furniture store in St. Peter is pretty cool to check out and the Linnaeus Arboretum at Gustavus Adolphus is a beautiful area to walk through if you feel like doing some hiking

Red Jacket/Rapidan/Lake Crystal/Minneopa Loop

Distance: 34 miles

Dominant geographical feature: Minneopa Falls, with strong consideration to the three river valleys and the Rapidan Dam

Best place to eat along the way: The Dam Store

Best known point of interest: Minneopa Falls

Best kept secret on the route: Justin Morneau's house if you're a Twins fan. If not, there's some pretty cool hiking trails around Mount Kato. I would say Minnemishinona Falls, but with the new bridge, it's starting to not be a secret anymore.

A day off in the kayak

2011-09-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

For many, Labor Day weekend is a time of family getaway and vacation. Luggage gets packed, boats get loaded and countless families drive off to resorts and cabins for a few days away from home.

If I'd of had the full weekend off, I likely would've been among that crowd, going on boat rides and getting my fair share of fishing in at my parents' cabin on Big Birch Lake. I enjoy spending time with my family and it's nice to get out of town once in awhile (especially when out-of-town trips involve heated games of Hammerschalgen).

Alas, it wasn't meant to be. I had two days off out of the 3-day weekend, but they happened to be Saturday and Monday, with a work day sandwiched between them on Sunday. Since my parents' cabin is about a 3-hour drive from Mankato, I figured I'd save the trip for a longer weekend.

However, that's not to say that the two days off weren't enjoyed to the fullest. Saturday was spent doing an 87-mile bike ride that utilized all four loops listed on the Greater Mankato Visitors Bureau's hiking/biking trails map (blog entry and column on that coming soon) and the majority of Labor Day was spent floating down the Minnesota River in my inflatable kayak.

Regular readers might recall that I blogged about my inflatable kayak last year. I've taken it out a few times on lakes this summer and attempted a short paddle upstream on the Minnesota River in the past, but until yesterday, I'd never attempted a day-long float. I always figured the logistics of it (dropping a vehicle off and getting a second person to drive you back to the starting location) made it a bit of a hassle, plus I didn't know how well the kayak would hold up from the rigors of the Minnesota River.

I managed to solve one of those problems with the realization that I could use my bike for transport, albeit transport without the kayak (even deflated, it'd be a little too big to bungee to my bike, plus I have no idea how I'd carry the paddle). So the sequence of events to prepare for the float were as follows:

I dropped my kayak off at the starting point of the float (Land of Memories Park) and asked one of the families camping there to keep an eye on it for me. (thanks again to that family)
With my bike loaded in my car, I drove to the end point of the float (Seven Mile Creek), parked my car and biked back to the starting point.

As for the float itself, I was pleasantly surprised by two things about the Minnesota River: how calm it was and how easy it was to navigate (I gave myself more than enough time to finish the float because I assumed I would get lost at some point).

Both surprises can be attributed to the low water level in the river. It is considerably lower than it was this past spring and fall (during flooding) and less water typically means less current. It also revealed some of the damage done by the flooding, with river banks looking like barren wastelands of prior vegetation (pictured right). Likewise, most of the jutting tributaries and pools along the river have also dried up, making navigation a simple exercise in following the current.

Contrary to my worries beforehand, the inflatable kayak also proved to be more than capable of handling the river. The problems I had with steering it in the past were solved by having no wind to deal with and going with the current instead of against it (paddling upstream in an inflatable kayak is like pancakes without syrup: It's possible, but you won't enjoy it). Since the Minnesota River is a sediment-heavy stream (brown from all the farmland soil flooding in), the bottom of it is mostly soft sand and devoid of any sharp, jagged rocks.

Really, it was an great stretch of river to kayak on. The weather was perfect, the scenery varied from the flood walls of Mankato to deep forests to prairie lands (even spotted a few deer along the way) and the float took a little less than four hours (or two Grain Belt Nordeasts, if you're measuring by beer consumption).

About the only thing missing from the experience was a fishing rod to get a few casts in. Well, that and maybe something else to consume besides beer.

Learning the Loops: Red Jacket/Rapidan/Lake Crystal/Minneopa

2011-09-01T13:08:00.000-07:00

Note: This is Part 4 of a four-part series on the bike loops listed in the Greater Mankato Visitors Bureau's biking/hiking trails map

Distance: 34 miles for the basic loop, though there are a couple of different options. According to the map, the Garden City extension of the loop adds an additional 14 miles while the Minneopa cutoff likely shaves about 5 miles or so off the ride.

Directions: The directions for this loop are completely dependent on which version of if you want to ride. However, for the sake of consistency, I will start them all from the same place: At the Red Jacket trailhead behind the YMCA.

For the basic loop: Bike on the Red Jacket Trail until you reach its endpoint just outside of Rapidan. Then take a right onto 552nd Ave and head into town. At the stop sign in town, take a right (County Road 9) and head out of town toward the Rapidan Dam. Continue past the dam, cross over Highway 169, and bike along the south end of Loon Lake until you're in the town of Lake Crystal.

Once in Lake Crystal, take a right on Main Street and head through town until you reach Lake Street just before Highway 60. At that point, take a right, then take an immediate left onto Murphy Street. When Murphy Street ends, follow Dogwood Road across Highway 60 and continue on that road until you intersect with 200th Street/County Road 20. Then take a left, follow the curve right, and continue north until you reach County Road 11. Take a right, follow that for a little over a mile, and then take a left onto County Road 42. Follow that past Judson across the Minnesota River and take a right onto County Road 41.

Continue on that road for about five miles until you come across County Road 71/Judson Bottom (the last road before the really big hill). Take a right, follow Judson Bottom into North Mankato and cross Lookout Drive. Immediately after crossing Lookout, take a right onto South Ave, follow that for three blocks and take a left onto Sherman Street. Hop up on the sidewalk and follow that across the Highway 169 bridge back into Mankato.

For the Garden City Extension: Same as the basic loop until you're on County Road 9 outside of

Rapidan. Take a left onto County Road 34 (the last road before the downhill leading to the dam) and follow that for about six miles. The road ends at Highway 169 just south of Garden City. Turn right on Highway 169, head north and take your first left onto 173rd Street (County Road 13). Bike on that for a little more than two miles until you get to County Road 20. At that point, take a right and head north for about five miles. You'll come into Lake Crystal near the rec center.

For the Minneopa Cutoff: Same as the basic loop until you're on County Road 11 outside of Lake Crystal. Instead of taking a left onto County Road 42, continue straight on County Road 11. It will eventually run into Highway 68 near Minneopa State Park. Take a right on Highway 68 and follow that until you see the Minneopa bike trail off the side of the road. Hop on that and follow it back into Mankato (it ends at the entrance of Land of Memories Park). To get back to the YMCA from there, follow the sidewalk along Highway 169 across the Blue Earth River. After crossing the river, the sidewalk exits down onto Riverfront Drive.

Notes on the route: With all due respect to the descriptions of each loop on the trail map, the Garden City extension did not offer "endless views." Aside from a brief dip in the Blue Earth River valley, it really doesn't offer much for scenery unless you enjoy the serenity of rolling farm hills and cornfields.

Truth be told, unless the Blue Earth County Fair is making its annual stop in Garden City, the river valley dip is probably the most exciting thing that can be said about this extension. There aren't too many places of business to be found in Garden City and the most interesting thing I can say about the town is that the majority of its streets are named after former U.S. presidents. Shady Oaks Campground seems like a pretty decent hub for community activities, complete with volleyball courts, horseshoe pits and an arcade center. Though like the rest of the town, it was pretty dormant when I biked through.

For the distance-obsessed cyclist, the Garden City Extension has the obvious benefit of tacking a few extra miles onto your ride on safe and relatively low-traffic roads. It also has the added bonus of a difficult climb out of the Blue Earth River valley if you're looking to get some hill workouts in. If you do the full loop plus the extension, the ride ends up being almost 50 miles; definitely a solid day of biking.

However, if you're a cyclist like me that's more concerned with finding interesting destinations, the Garden City Extension is a bit lacking.

Aside from that, the other notable attribute about this loop is the generous amount of river valley hills you'll see along the way. The Minnesota, Le Sueur and Blue Earth rivers all get crossed at some point on this loop, which means you'll likely have to downshift a time or two in order to power through some of the inclines.

Places to eat along the route: Regardless of which route you decide to take, there's plenty of options. I already touched on the Dam Store for a blog entry last summer, but to summarize it, they have fantastic pie, a variety of low-priced meal options, and an outdoorsy/small-town setting unique to most other restaurants. Really, it's like stepping into a time portal to the 1960's (they even have an old-school malt maker and Pepsi machine).

Lake Crystal is the other major meal spot on the route, and it's loaded with options. For localized options, there's the Main Street Cafe, Lakes Bar & Grill, Weggy's Bar & Grill and Dina's on Main. If you're looking to get a quick ice cream fix, there's also a Dairy Queen located right off of Highway 60.

On a hunch, I chose Dina's for my mid-ride snack. They advertised having good breakfast sandwiches (it was about 11 in the morning when I got there) and they were located next door to Weggy's, so the prospect of getting a beer with the meal (I'm only human) was promising.

I wasn't disappointed. Not only was their food delicious, but the prices were also very reasonable (I paid $6.50 for a sizable omelet croissant and a bottle of Summit, pictured right). The restaurant had the added bonus of one of locals stopping in for his regular cup of coffee while I was eating, so a fair amount of town gossip transpired between him and the waitress as I soaked in the atmosphere. Thanks to my own inquiries in the conversation, I was also able to figure where Justin Morneau's house in Lake Crystal was located (more on that later).

Things to see/do along the route: This loop has pretty much everything you could ever want in a bike ride. It has two waterfalls (Minneopa and Minnemishinona), an historic landmark (Seppman Mill), a wonderful state park/restaurant combo (Rapidan Dam), and once it gets fixed, a picturesque trestle bridge to bike across on the Red Jacket Trail.

It has lakes and river valleys, cornfields and bluffs, and enough food options to keep even the pickiest eater satisfied. There are three different campgrounds to tent at along the way (Minneopa, Rapidan and Shady Oaks), and if you want to hop off your bike to do a little hiking, the loop also goes past Mount Kato. Heck, it even has a disc golf course at Land of Memories Park if you feel like packing a frisbee.

Since it would take around 15,000 words to write about each and every one of those points in detail, I will instead focus on the goal of my most recent ride on this loop: Finding Justin Morneau's house.

I won't claim to be as keen on baseball as my co-worker Ed Thoma (few are), but I would certainly consider myself to be a Twins fan. I grew up watching up them, Kirby Puckett is still my all-time favorite baseball player, and I have a sizable collection of bobblehead dolls and Homer Hankies. I also have vivid memories of attending a 1991 World Series game at the Metrodome (though I had trouble hearing in kindergarten class the next day).

So when I first heard that Justin Morneau had built his house on Lake Crystal, like any other Twins fan, I was naturally curious about it. How big is the house? What kind of security does it have? How often is he home? Does he hang out in Lake Crystal at all? How does he interact with the locals?

All of this may seem like the obsessions of a star-struck fan, but this isn't a run-of-the-mill baseball player living next door. This is Justin Morneau; former American League MVP, co-face of the Twins franchise (along with Joe Mauer) and one of the league's biggest stars (at least when he's healthy, not the case this year). Money isn't synonymous with happiness, but he makes more of it in a year than most of us make in our entire lives.

So yeah, it was worth the detour to go check out his house. I'm sure a 'Jersey Shore' fan would go to the same lengths if they found out that Mike "The Situation" lived in their area.

The directions from the locals at Dina's narrowed his house down to the following characteristics:

It's located on the west end of Loon Lake
It's a relatively modest single-story rambler (at least for a multi-millionaire athlete)
It has a green roof
It has a visible-but-not-imposing security fence circling the property
It is located next door to his brother-in-law's house (his wife's family is from Lake Crystal). The brother-in-law's house was also described as being considerably larger than Morneau's (ego boost perhaps?)

Based on those characteristics, here is the house I found that supposedly belongs to the Twins first baseman:

Take this information with a grain of salt. Morneau didn't appear to be home at the time and there wasn't a "Morneau" mailbox or a giant billboard on the side of the road reading "Justin Morneau lives here" that would've confirmed his residency. Even if he had been home, I doubt he would've wanted a sweaty cyclist knocking on his door to talk baseball with him.

However, if the house is indeed what the locals say it is, then it's definitely modest dwellings for an athlete of his fame and standing.

The locals also took the time to tell me about Morneau in the Lake Crystal community. Similar to his home, Morneau is described as being a very down-to-earth athlete who is easy to talk to and get along with. "He's not imposing or arrogant," the waitress at Dina's told me, "He's just a nice guy; a regular guy."

That sort of description won't vault him past Puckett (or even Hrbek) on my list of favorite Twins, but it's nice to know there's professional athletes out there who aren't full of themselves.

Possible ways to expand the loop: Not sure how much more you would want to see on one bike ride, but if you're looking for a few extra miles, you can take a left onto County Road 13 while biking north on County Road 20 (part of the Garden City Extension). That will take you into Madelia, where there's a movie theater, a Mexican restaurant (Plaza Morena) and a pirate-themed restaurant called Blackbeards (I'll admit, I'm intrigued by that one). I only passed through Madelia in a car, so I can't really speak to the quality of those destinations, though a Free Press article about Plaza Morena can be found here.

Looking south, you can either head down Highway 169 to Amboy (and stop off at the Cottage Cafe), or you can take a left instead of a right in Rapidan, turn onto Highway 66 and head to Good Thunder (with the Thunder Cafe). If you want to go north, instead of turning off onto County Road 41 past Judson, continue on County Road 42 into Nicollet and stop at Schmidt's Meat Market.

Again, I'm pretty sure you'll find enough stuff to do on the loop itself.

Learning the Loops: Sakatah/Madison Lake

2011-08-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

Note: This is Part 3 of a four-part series on the bike loops listed in the Greater Mankato Visitors Bureau's biking/hiking trails map

Distance: About 15 miles.

Directions: Like the other loops, it all depends on where you want to start from. According to the DNR website, a section of the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail is currently closed between Lime Valley Road and Highway 22 until the end of August to replace a bridge, install a large culvert and replace/repair several smaller culverts. Since the parking lot along Highway 22 is also closed, I'd recommend starting from the River Hills Mall parking lot, biking on the path along Highway 22 and linking up with the Sakatah Trail after it crosses County Road 12. Once you reach the trail, turn right and head east to Madison Lake. Once you get to Madison Lake, take a left on Main Street (the road just before reaching the Trailblazer Bar & Grill) and then take an immediate left onto County Road 26. Follow that for about 7 miles until the road intersects with 589th Ave. At that point, take a left, follow the curve to the right onto 227th Street and follow that until you see the Sakatah Trail along the side of the road.

Once the the repair work is done along the Sakatah Trail, I'd recommend starting from the trail head parking lot on Lime Valley Road or at the parking lot located along Highway 22.

Recent wrinkle: A bike path was recently built that links the Sakatah Trail and County Road 12 about a mile east of Mankato. It runs runs parallel to 589th Ave. If you're on the Sakatah Trail, this is the street where the bridge is being built over the railroad tracks. If you're on the back roads portion of the loop, it's the street where Ron's Auto Repair is located. I'm not quite sure how the path adds to this route (the Sakatah Trail and County Road 12 already cross paths in Mankato), but it's another option.

Notes on the route: Might as well call this the "lake loop." Aside from Madison Lake, you'll bike past three other lakes (Ballantyne, Gilfillin and Eagle) in the 15-mile ride and you'll see Eagle Lake twice.

Difficulty-wise, at 15 miles, it's far and away the shortest and easiest loop of the four. Unless you're starting from the Sakatah Trail head (again, not an option at this point because that stretch of trail is closed), the only inclines you'll encounter are a few rolling hills on County Road 26. There isn't a lot of wind cover, but as I've mentioned before, part of the appeal of biking a loop is that a head wind for one stretch can quickly become a tail wind. Since half of the loop takes place on a bike trail and most of the other half sticks to one road, it's also pretty easy to navigate.

I would also consider this loop to be the safest of the four. The back roads on it are well-maintained roads with low traffic, wide shoulders and no problematic intersections to speak of. Ironically, the biggest safety concern of the entire loop used to be on the Sakatah Trail when

trail users had to cross the railroad tracks and bike on a dirt however. However, that concern was resolved earlier this year when the trail was rerouted to run parallel with the bridge being built over the railroad (pictured right). Highway 22 isn't the safest road to cross, but once the repair work is finished, that won't be an issue.

Fair warning: There are no bike shops on this loop or in Madison Lake, so be sure to pack a repair kit just in case. I found this out the hard way when I got a flat tire in Madison Lake last fall and had to call a friend to come pick me up.

Places to eat along the route: Since the Mankato portion of this loop is on the outskirts of town, I'll keep the eating options confined to Madison Lake. With that in mind, there's two major spots to grab a bite in town: The Trail Blazer Bar & Grill and the Boatlanding Restaurant and Resort.

The Trail Blazer was a bike trip destination of mine for a blog post last summer, so I won't waste much space rehashing what I liked about it. The food is very reasonably priced, they have regular drink specials and the atmosphere has a cool fisherman's vibe to it (they also have some interesting wooden statues to glance at, some of which can be seen on the left side of their website).

The Boatlanding Restaurant and Resort is an eating spot I'm relatively unfamiliar with. I've biked past it and hung out on the beach in the resort, but that's about it. According to locals I talked to, the restaurant is known for making delicious pizzas and having a sizable spread for Sunday brunch. It's also known for having surprisingly decent prices on meals for a restaurant that's linked to a resort. The resort's website can be found here, but despite having a restaurant tab, it doesn't have anything listed about their menu or food prices.

Things to see/do along the route: I haven't attempted it yet, but if you can figure out how to pack a fishing pole on your bike, there's probably some pretty good fishing spots along this route (after seeing a RAGBRAI rider tow a keg with his bike last summer, I'm convinced anything is possible). I've had good luck with darkhouse spearfishing on Ballantyne in the past and I know that Madison Lake is one of the more popular fishing holes in the area. Though my co-worker Doug Monson might be the person to ask about area fishing prospects.

Beyond that, the plethora of lakes on this loop also has the inviting prospect of stopping off somewhere to cool down in the water. I've already mentioned the beach on Madison Lake, but according to the loop map, the Eagle Lake public access off County Road 26 is also a viable option. Based on my own experience, I can say that the public access area has relatively clean water and isn't too rocky to walk on.

Beyond fishing and swimming, this loop also has a camping option if you're looking to make it an overnight trip. The Sakatah Trail Campsite (located right next to the Trail Blazer) has tent camping for $15 per night.

Possible ways to expand the loop: The Sakatah Trail runs all the way east to Faribault, so that's a pretty straightforward option to lengthen your ride. The best place I know of to eat along the trail between there and Faribault is Tucker's Tavern in Elysian. Fantastic burgers and enough Vikings memorabilia to make you bleed purple and gold. There's also a disc golf course in Morristown if you're willing to pack a frisbee for the ride.

If your looking for off-trail expansion options, try biking past the Sakatah campground in Madison Lake and taking a left onto 1st Street/County Road 26. That will lead you past Duck Lake into the Lake Jefferson/Lake Henry area. From there, you can either take looping back roads back to Mankato or continue on County Road 15 to Cleveland, home of Kokomo's Bar & Grill.

Man conquers mountain, but not without a price

2011-08-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

As the subject matter of my blog would indicate, I consider myself to be in relatively good shape.

I go for runs pretty regularly, I weight lift and I can rip off a long bike ride without too much trouble. I won't be setting any marathon records in the near future, but I also won't be gasping for air after walking up a flight of stairs.

With being in shape comes the expectation that you can perform most physical activities with ease, even if it's an activity that your body isn't used to. The activity might feel taxing at first, but if you're in good enough shape, your body should be able to adapt to it as you go.

As I would come to find out the other day after doing a day hike near Seattle with my step brother Derek, that's not quite the case for me.

One of the goals I had while visiting Derek in the Pacific Northwest last week was to do a hiking trip of some sort. He's a pretty avid hiker and I figured the area was probably brimming with good trail options in the surrounding mountain ranges.

Derek suggested McClellan Butte, a 4.6-mile hike up roughly 3,300 feet of elevation. According to him, it was a popular trail in the area that featured a relatively easy climb and some pretty impressive views at the summit (the first photo is an actual picture of the mountain, it certainly doesn't LOOK easy).

One thing to know about my agreement to do this hike: I haven't done any serious hiking in years. The last trip I did was a week-long excursion in the Grand Canyon more than three years ago, and that had much more gradual elevation changes for most of the trek. I've hiked most of the parks in the Mankato area, but mountain ranges aren't exactly common in southern Minnesota.

Despite knowing all of this, I reasoned that I was in good enough shape to keep up with Derek on the hike. Besides, nobody wants to look like a wimp in front of their brother. So instead of asking him to slow down and rest more frequently, I pressed on and tried to zone out whatever pain might have been creeping up my legs.

About midway through the hike to the summit, my legs felt limber and my cardiovascular system seemed like it had adjusted to the activity. I figured that meant I would get through the hike with no issues and wouldn't have any residual effects in the days that followed.

As it turns out, I was half-right.

As the photo on the right would indicate, I did indeed make it to the summit of McClellan Butte. And aside from a pretty embarrassing fall in a snow bank along the trail, I handled the hike about as well as a novice hiker can be expected to handle it.

However, when I tried to get out of bed the next morning, it became obvious that the hike had written a check my body was having trouble cashing. My legs felt stiff, my knees were sore and my hips ached. It hurt to go up and down stairs and any attempts to stretch were met with angry shrieks from my leg muscles telling me something along the lines of "I told you this was a bad idea, you idiot!"

Matter of fact, my lower body still feels that way two days later. I've gone on a couple of decent bike rides since the hike, so it's not as bad as the first few days after a marathon (the time period I like to refer to as a "cardio vacation"). But for a guy who thought he was in pretty decent shape, it's a pretty surprising revelation.

Lesson learned: Take it slow with new activities. The hike was an absolute blast and one of the highlights of my trip, but I think my legs would've appreciated another rest stop or two along the way.

Bike trip destinations: Morgan Creek Vineyards

2011-08-16T21:07:00.000-07:00

Distance from downtown Mankato: Roughly 20 miles.

Route I took: We'll keep it simple this time. Head west on Riverfront Drive until you reach the Highway 169 on-ramp at the end of the road. At that point, bike on the sidewalk adjacent to the highway over the Le Sueur River and follow the residential streets (Olive and Main) to the starting point of the Minneopa Trail. Take the trail to Highway 68 and then hop on 68 for about 15 miles until you reach County Road 47. At that point, take a left on 47, follow that for about two miles, and take a left onto County Road 101/478th Ave (fair warning: it's a dirt road). The winery will be on your left.

Note: The end part of the map for this trip is incorrect. I accidentally mapped the route about three miles too far on County Road 47. Unfortunately, mapmyrun.com won't allow me to edit an already-published route and doing the entire map over again (each of them takes an hour or so to make) seems a little redundant. So the "END" sign on the route is the actual location of the winery. Please adjust accordingly.

General ease/challenge of ride: At 40 miles round trip, it's a definite workout. There's also two sizable dips in the road along the way, so there's two pretty decent hills you'll have climb going both ways. If you're biking to the vineyard, the first climb is around Mile 10 on Highway 68 after the Judson turnoff, and the second climb comes after you onto County Road 47.

Both the hills are pretty decent climbs, but I wouldn't say they're any tougher than -- or even equal to -- some of the steeper inclines in Mankato. So if you've biked up Lookout Drive or bested the South Route Trail, you can definitely handle these downshift dandies (channeling my inner Dick Vitale).

Safety of the ride: When I was planning a bike ride to New Ulm two years ago, I recall a coworker advising against using Highway 68 because he said it had a lot of challenging hills. At the time, I was still pretty new to road cycling. I mostly stuck to bike trails and avoided hills like they were hot lava.

That's not really the case anymore, as biking up Potter Hill on RAGBRAI last summer convinced that almost any incline can be conquered with a little grit and a lot of downshifting. However, at that point, hearing that a road had steep hills was about the same as someone telling me that it was covered with broken glass.

Consequently, I relied on back roads and having to ride on Highway 14 after Courtland to get to New Ulm. The ride wasn't terrible, but as a steady stream of cars were zipping past me on Highway 14, I couldn't help but wonder if Highway 68 would've been the better option.

Well, after doing this ride, I can firmly say that it is the safer option. Traffic on Highway 68 is considerably lighter than Highway 14 and it has enough of a shoulder where motorists can keep their distance. I can't attest for the entire stretch of 68 to New Ulm, but up until County Road 47, there aren't any blind turns in the road where cars can suddenly appear without warning. Since the ride is predominantly out the country, there also aren't any busy intersections to worry about.

Appeal of the destination: I always thought vineyards would be a something of a fish out of water in Minnesota. After all, how can a practice that relies so heavily on the weather thrive in an area where there's snow on the ground 6 months out of the year and temperatures routinely drop below zero in the wintertime?

However, Morgan Creek Vineyards is one of a growing number of wineries in the state debunking that notion.

Founded in 1993 by Georg and Paula Marti, Morgan Creek was part of the early winery movement in Minnesota. According to the tour guide, they were the eighth winery in the state at the time; today more than 40 such wineries exist. The last name of Morgan Creek's founders should sound familiar to locals, as Georg is the great great grandson of August Schell, founder of Schell's Brewing Company in New Ulm.

The story of how Georg and Paula came to own the livestock farmland that the vineyard currently resides on is also pretty interesting. Supposedly, they were walking across the land looking for firewood when they came across a massive oak tree in the middle of the field that still stands today (pictured right). Enamored with the tree, they purchased the land on a spur of the moment decision and immediately went to work on wine making. They planted 500 vines the first year and had their first vintage season in 1998 (most wines take about 5 years to make).

The wine-making process began slowly for the Martis, but Morgan Creek and other area vineyards received a shot in the arm in 1996 when the University of Minnesota developed Frontenac, a cross-bred cold hardy grape that could withstand the state's brutal winters. The U of M has since added to Frontenac with three other cold hardy varieties: La Crescent, Marquette and Frontenac gris.

Today, Morgan Creek produces more than 15 varieties of red and white wine and harvests more than four tons of grapes per year. Their distribution is relatively light compared to major wineries, but they have a loyal regional following and hold their own at state-wide wine-tasting competitions. Morgan Creek also has the distinction of being Minnesota's only underground winery, as their production area is tucked into a hillside to help regulate temperatures (a very important part of brewing and wine making).

As a visitor, the main appeal of Morgan Creek Vineyards is pretty straightforward. It's a winery, which means there's wine, and more importantly, it means there's wine tasting. Visitors have the option of sampling four or eight wines, with the prices being $3 and $5 respectively (I

opted for eight wines, might as well make it worth the trip). The winery also has a restaurant on site (with a lovely patio area, pictured right) to enjoy the wine with. I didn't take a long look at the menu (I had Cliff Bars packed), but I saw several sandwich and pizza options.

Beyond the wine tasting, Morgan Creek also has hourly tours and a gift shop stocked with corkscrews, t-shirts and -- surprise, surprise -- full bottles of wine! Since the prospect of toting a wine bottle home on my bike seemed obtuse, I decided the tour would be the better route. The major points of the tour are to explain the history of the vineyard and give a brief rundown of the wine-making process. Those on the tour will also get to see the various machines used to make wine (at right is the bladder presser, which uses pressurized water to bleed the minerals out of the grape skins).

Since I was the only person on that particular tour, the guide let me walk around the vineyard at my own leisure and was pretty cool about letting me get close to some of the equipment.

I won't say that Morgan Creek is cheap entertainment. The tour and wine tasting is $9 collectively (compared to $3 at Schell's Brewery, with the admission including a free beer) and the vineyard lacks any drinkable tap water, meaning you'll have to buy bottled water if you didn't bring extras for the ride home.

However, the informative tour and a surprisingly-diverse selection of wine for taste testing make it worth the trip.

If you have the schedule flexibility to plan your trip in advance, Morgan Creek has several events at the vineyard that feature live music and grilled dinners. Here are some of the upcoming events worth checking out:

Jazz Nite with the Jim McGuire Jazz Trio is held on the first Saturday of every month from May to November
Winedown for the Weekend is every Friday with music from pianist Ben Marti
The Annual Great Grape Stomp is on Oct. 1, complete with belly dancers and competitive grape stomping

Learning the Loops: Kasota Prairie/St. Peter

2011-08-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

Note: This is Part 2 of a four-part series on the bike loops listed in the Greater Mankato Visitors Bureau's biking/hiking trails map

Distance: 34 miles, though the distance increases if you decide to explore areas of St. Peter or forget to take a key left turn (the latter of which happened to me).

Directions: I began the loop by hopping on the Minnesota River Trail at the Main Street entrance downtown and heading north. When the trail intersects with 3rd Ave, take a left and continue heading north. After about three or four miles, the road curves to the left and turns into 355th Ave. Continue on that road until you get to Kasota, where you take a right on Hill Street and a left two blocks later onto Rabbit Road.

Continue north on Rabbit Road until it ends on Highway 99. Take a left onto Highway 99 and follow it through St. Peter. Once out of St. Peter, the road turns into County Road 5. About a mile or so past the Swanson's Tennis Center/Linneaus Arboretum area of town, take a left onto County Road 40 and follow that until the T intersection with Highway 99, where you then take a right. About 3 miles down the road, take a left onto County Road 13 and follow that back into North Mankato, where it becomes Lookout Drive.

Once in North Mankato, you have a couple of options. The trail map directs you to bike north on Lake Street, take a right on Lind Street, follow that across Highway 169 and head south on the Minnesota River Trail until you reach the Veterans Memorial Bridge, when you then take a left back into Mankato. However, if you're tired from the ride and want to end it quickly, turn onto Lee Blvd. off of Lookout Drive, hang a right onto Belgrade Ave, take another right onto Sherman Street, and then follow the sidewalk as it leads to the Highway 169 bridge and takes you back into Mankato near the YMCA and Burger King on Riverfront.

Notes on the route: It might be the second-longest of the four loops, but the KasotaPrairie/St. Peter ride might also feature the least amount of hills. Aside from having to climb up a small hill in St. Peter, there's no real inclines that stick out and the biggest elevation change on the whole ride is the wonderful downhill on Lookout Drive once you get into North Mankato (I recommend stopping at the lookout point and taking in the view, you can see almost all of Mankato). Because the first half the ride is still in the river valley, you also don't need to deal with as much wind as the other rides.

Safety-wise, I've always been a little skittish about riding on highway roads in the country. They're deceptively busy, they usually don't have much of a shoulder and cars that drive on them feel the need to go 65+ miles an hour without taking cyclists into account. That being said, Highway 99 west of St. Peter was surprisingly safel. It had a generous shoulder and motorists kept their respective distance.

Having to cross Highway 169 in St. Peter was no fun, but aside from that, there weren't many problematic intersections. The biggest safety concern of the whole ride is likely the lengthy downhill stretch of Lookout Drive. It's a busy road and it's also very steep, so I wouldn't recommend trying to set some sort of speed record on the way down.

The other memorable thing to note about the loop is the left-hand turn onto County Road 40 that I missed. This resulted in an extra 6 miles of riding on rolling country roads. I don't mind extra miles, but I do mind getting lost on roads with nothing but farm land for scenery.

Places to eat along the route: With all respect to the Prairie Saloon in Kasota, this ride is all about showcasing the main drag of St. Peter. And for a modestly-sized town along Highway 169, it doesn't disappoint.

Probably the most well-known sit-down restaurant on the route is the Whiskey River, which is located right off of Highway 99 before you cross the Minnesota River. According to locals, the meals there are a little pricey (their website also indicates that as well), but the food is considered excellent and venue offers a scenic view of the river. If you're looking to save a few dollars on a meal, look at their website and click on the "Newsletters" tab ahead of time. They have monthly coupons you can print out and use.

The place I stopped to eat at was the River Rock Cafe, which is located a couple blocks to the left on Highway 169 once you get into St. Peter. EXCELLENT atmosphere, friendly waitstaff and surprising amount of food options for a venue known for its coffee. If you need something to read while you're there, they also have a decent library of donated books and magazines to browse. Based on a quick look at previous Free Press editions, if you time your trip right, you might also hear some live music there from time to time.

I wish I could confirm how tasty their lunchtime sandwiches were, but since money was tight that, my cafe patronage was limited to a strawberry scone and a hot cup of green tea (not a coffee drinker, sorry). They also could not have been friendlier when I asked to fill my water bottle up for the ride home.

According to an April article in the Free Press, River Rock also scores high points for its reliance on local farmers for meat and other products. The cafe also has a plot in Kasota where it grows most of its own produce. Very cool to see a local cafe keep all of its products locally-grown.

Aside from River Rock and Whiskey River, other places to grab a bite in the area include Patrick's Pub, Erbs & Gerbs and Godfather's Pizza. I've heard Patrick's has some pretty decent drink specials, but I can't confirm that myself (remember, money was a bit tight that day).

Things to see/do along the route: As mentioned before, this route is mainly a showcase of St. Peter as a community. I've always thought St. Peter would be a cool town to explore for a day, but I couldn't figure out a bike route that dodged having to pedal on Highway 169. Thanks to this loop, that isn't the case anymore.

My main goal of biking out this loop was to finally play a full round at the disc golf course in St. Peter at Riverside Park (I attempted to play there a couple years back and lost my disc midway through the round and scuffed up my legs on thistle bushes, good times were NOT had). Unfortunately, due to flood damage and lack of upkeep, most of the holes are either inaccessible or overgrown by tall grass. Out of the three holes I played, the photo on the right represents the most well-kept fairway I saw. Not exactly the 18th green at Augusta National.

However, that's not to say there aren't other cool things to do in St. Peter. For me, the best part of the trip was taking the time to walk around Gustavus Adolphus' campus. Growing up in the St. Cloud area, I came to appreciate the quaint setting and classical-style buildings at St. John's University/College of St. Benedict. Gustavus is a lot of the same, with picturesque architecture, odd-looking statues (see right) and a wide open flow to the campus (TONS of open fields for lounging and playing soccer or ultimate frisbee). The college doesn't have the same sense of seclusion to it that St. John's has (thanks largely to a vicious tornado that ripped through the area in the mid-1990's) but it has the same studious/social setting that reminds me of why I miss college.

Other areas to check out in town include the scenic Minnesota Square Park (also a good place to charge your mp3 player, as I found out), the Roy T. Lindenberg outdoor pool (located over by Veterans Memorial Park), an Amish furniture store and the Traverse des Sioux Treaty Center, which is located on the north end of town.

Quick history lesson on the last attraction: According the Minnesota Historical Society's website and Wikipedia, the U.S. government signed a treaty with the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands of the Dakota Indians in 1851 in which the Sioux gave up more than 20 million acres of land to settlers for the promised payment of of $1.66 million. The land made up the vast majority of present-day southern Minnesota and parts of Iowa and South Dakota.

After the treaty, the Traverse des Sioux settlement was established just north of St. Peter, eventually growing into a town of about 300 people. However, the town lost its county seat of Nicollet County to St. Peter in 1856 and was eventually abandoned in 1869.

If you're looking for non-St. Peter related points of interest, there really aren't many that come to mind. The wetlands mentioned on the map weren't really prominent when I biked the loop, though that might have been due some exceptionally-dry weather at the time.

One thing that's pretty easy to find outside of St. Peter is the Kasota Stone Quarry. It's located right off the route and can be seen clearly from the road. While walking through a quarry full of bulldozers might be a little dangerous (at least it seemed like it to me), it is pretty cool to see the stone that was used to help build Target Field.

Possible ways to expand the loop: The easiest one I can think of is to keep heading west on Highway 99 into Nicollet. If your appetite is back by then, you can swing over to Schmidt's Meat Market and grab some beef sticks. If you want to loop back into Mankato from there, bike across Highway 14, hang a left onto County Road 25 and follow the back roads until you get to Lookout Drive. If you feel like getting a few golf swings in, the Northern Links is right on the way (though I'd recommend renting clubs, they might be tough to haul on a bike).

Now on Twitter

2011-08-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

Not sure how many of my regular readers are Twitter users, but if you're dying to hear more on all topics related to health & fitness, yours truly has now joined the world of 140-character tweets.

That's right folks, I'm now on Twitter. A feed of my Twitter account can be viewed on the right-hand side of my blog below my profile. There's only one tweet at present (the obligatory "holy crap, how does this all work?" tweet), but rest-assured, there will soon be more. I will most likely keep the tweets related to health & fitness -- with an emphasis on the Mankato area -- though I may occasionally drift off topic if something else strikes my fancy.

I've been reluctant to join Twitter up to this point. I figured Facebook was enough of a social networking addiction. However, I've been looking for other ways to add to my blog's content and I figure Twitter gives me a more concise platform (the 140-characters thing is going to take some getting used to) to write about workouts, community happenings and random cycling adventures.

Here's to hoping my tweets can be interesting!

Bike trip destinations: Seven Mile Creek

2011-08-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Distance from downtown Mankato: Between 7 and 7 1/2 miles, depending on how much you want to use the bike trails in North Mankato.

Route I took: Pretty straightforward route. After crossing the Veterans Memorial Bridge into North Mankato, take a right onto the bike trail that runs along the Minnesota River. The trail will take you all the way to the Kiwanis Park at the north end of town, at which point you have to (gulp) hop on Highway 169 for the remaining four miles. The entrance to Seven Mile Creek will be on your left.

I've spent much time trying to map out a route that avoids Highway 169, but it's pretty unavoidable because the park's lone entrance is right on the highway and there aren't a lot of back roads leading to that area. Old River Bluff Road, which runs parallel to the highway, isn't paved in certain sections. The St. Peter Loop on the Greater Mankato Bike Map is an option, but that still requires you to use the highway in order to double back to the park's entrance.

General ease/challenge of ride: Difficulty-wise, this is probably one of the easier rides I've done. The distance is very mild, there aren't any difficult climbs and the river valley bluffs and trees provide good wind cover. If you're pedaling at a consistent clip (which you're likely to do, since nobody wants to bike on Highway 169 any longer than they have to), you'll easily get to the park in under an hour.

Safety of the ride: Since it involves having to bike on Highway 169, this isn't the safest ride I've ever done. However, compared to busy country roads with no shoulder, it's really not that bad. The shoulder on 169 is at least 6 feet wide and there's rumble strips separating from traffic lanes. Really, the biggest concern is broken beer bottles (there's a lot of 'em) and other debris that typically litters the sides of major highways. The in-town commuting is relatively safe, though I would advise riders to utilize the bike trail in North Mankato. It doesn't add that much distance to your trip and you won't have to worry about cars zipping past you.

Appeal of the destination: Fair warning to readers: Unlike many of the other bike trips I've written about, there is no restaurant at this destination. It also lacks the photogenic natural attraction to draw in visitors (think Minneopa Falls).

However, that shouldn't suggest that Seven Mile Creek doesn't have any appeal as a biking destination. Quite the opposite, actually. The park has some of the best hiking trails in the area (roughly 8 miles worth), and if you're game for hiking up steep inclines, there's some pretty cool river valley viewing spots. It's not strictly a summertime park either; it also makes for great snowshoeing in the wintertime.

Beyond hiking, the park has several other outdoor activities for visitors to indulge in. There's volleyball courts, playground areas and picnic areas near the park's main entrance and the stream running through the park is regularly stocked with brown trout (I can't be the only person that thinks of this movie when I think of trout fishing). Since the eating options at Seven Mile are non-existent, I recommend packing a lunch if you plan on doing any serious hiking.

Truth be told, Seven Mile Creek actually reminds me a lot of the parks my mom used to take my brothers and I to for day trips. Most of the parks had great hiking trails (check), cool playgrounds (check), water for us to go swimming in (check) a picnic area to have lunch at (check) and didn't charge any fees for admission or parking (check). Presumably, my mom took us to these parks for three reasons: cheap entertainment, good exercise and as a means to pry me away from the TV for a few hours. I thought about asking my mom if she ever took us to Seven Mile when we were kids; it really wouldn't have surprised me.

My most recent trip to Seven Mile Creek had the unfortunate luck of being right after a few days of heavy rainfall. Already reeling from the floods of last fall, a few hiking areas of the park were either underwater or nearly underwater (see photo on the right) and the park's usually-crystal clear stream was pretty murky thanks to area soil getting carried into the creek by flood waters.

The fresh rainfall also made the trails interesting, as the steep inclines and declines became mud-slicked and required some careful hiking to navigate. On one particularly steep gorge, I actually had to grip onto small trees and bushes in order to climb out of it.

It might not have been the best day to bike out to the park, but at least it made the hiking memorable.

My kind of parking ramp

2011-07-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

Check out this picture, courtesy of Free Press photographer Wright Braudt:

That is a shot of a bike parking ramp near Central Station in Amsterdam. It's considered to be a safe location for cyclists to park their bikes, as thefts are widespread in the city. According to velomobiling.com, the ramp holds roughly 7,000 bikes.

The fact that Amsterdam has a bike parking ramp shouldn't come as a HUGE surprise. After all, the "Venice of the North" is rated as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world. More than 30 percent of Amsterdam's traffic volume is on bicycles and according to Wikipedia (not a credible journalism site, but still), the city has more than 400 kilometers (roughly 248 miles) of bike trails.

Still, it's pretty awesome to see the lengths of which Amsterdam has gone to establish cycling as a viable -- and preferred -- form of transportation.

Comparing Amsterdam to U.S. cities, roughly 4 percent of the traffic in Portland -- considered by many to be the bike capital of America -- is cycling-related.

That's not to say that cycling isn't popular in the U.S. Bike ownership is rising rapidly in the states and even a modestly-sized city like Mankato has four bike shops within 15 miles of the downtown area.

However, cycling is more of a recreational activity here. Very few people use their bikes to run errands or commute to work like they do in Amsterdam.

Can you imagine a bike traffic jam occurring anywhere in the U.S. unless it's a group ride like RAGBRAI? Can you also imagine a U.S. city forking over the money to build a parking ramp strictly for bikes?

Neither can I.

Reflecting on the Warrior Dash

2011-07-26T21:30:00.001-07:00

A few scattered thoughts on the Warrior Dash I ran in on Sunday. I'm aiming to write a column about the experience for Monday's health & fitness page as well (if we can't fit it in there, I'll just post it on my blog instead):

Biggest regret of the day: Not getting a waterproof case for my camera. I should've been carrying it around all day taking photos like crazy, but instead I had to check it with the rest of my belongings out of fear that it'd get ruined in a mud puddle. Consequently, none of the photos here are my own (though the first photo is a pre-race shot of the group I was running with, I'm the classy guy wearing warrior horns).
Grandma's Marathon is the biggest race I've ever done in terms of runners racing at one time, but the Warrior Dash blows Grandma's out of the water for overall participation. The wave I ran in alone had more than 250 runners, and waves were sent out every half hour from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on both Saturday AND Sunday. There weren't any sparsely-populated waves either, as registration filled up almost a month ago. Collectively, almost 20,000 runners completed the Warrior Dash, or roughly the population of St. Peter and Waseca combined.
My favorite parts of the race: Climbing up the cargo net (all those years of unabashed tree climbing paid off!) and crawling through the mud (every little kids dream, though my shoes were pretty much shot afterwards). My least favorite parts of the race: Running up all the steep hills (it was at Afton Alps ski resort, so that makes sense) and having to crawl through a 50-foot long black-colored tent (it was sweltering like a sauna inside and it reeked of livestock and b/o).
The Warrior Dash had the most comprehensive -- and strangely comical -- waiver form I've ever seen. Check out some of the clauses participants had to agree to: I understand agree, and accept that some of the obstacles may go through water that has not been tested for chemicals, disease, or any contamination whatsoever.......I understand that the Warrior Dash course may contain wild animals, insects, and plants, and I assume the risk of participating in Warrior Dash by and among the Warrior Dash course’s content.......I agree not to dive into or enter the mud pit head first.......I agree not to consume alcohol prior to Warrior Dash or ingest any medicines or substances that will inhibit my mental or physical ability to safely and effectively participate in the Warrior Dash (I can say with assurance that the alcohol portion of that last clause was not obeyed by a sizable number of runners. After all, the beer garden WAS right next to the starting line).
I think it's really cool that the Warrior Dash had areas set up for race participants to donate their mud-covered racing shoes to the needy (pictured right). Though I have no idea how they're going to clean them (power-washing perhaps?).
The costume choices at the Warrior Dash weren't as out there as the Monster Dash I raced in a couple years ago (remember, that was a Halloween-day run), but some of them were pretty ridiculous. One guy had blue body paint on and looked like a dead ringer of one of the Avatar creatures. A couple of guys racing in my heat were wearing full suits (slacks, button-up shirt, tie and suit coat) and kept them on for the entire race despite it being pretty hot and humid that day. A group of girls dressed up in super hero attire (Wonder Woman, Bat Girl and Laura Kroft from Tomb Raider, to name three); a group of guys donned Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costumes. There were also a countless number of runners dressed in warrior outfits, be it Norwegian Vikings or Native American regalia. In hindsight, I should've been more concerned about a costume and less concerned about getting through the race.
This is the only race I've ever been in were prizes were awarded for best costume AND best warrior beard. I didn't stick around for the award ceremony, but I'm guessing the guy rocking the ZZ Top-caliber beard in my heat got some serious consideration.
This was also the only race I've ever done where I didn't really care what my time was. I told myself when I signed up for the Warrior Dash that I wasn't going to concern myself with race times; that's what regular 5K races are for. This was about breaking away from the norm and enjoying a rock concert-like setting. My only goals were to keep jogging for the entire race and not injure myself on any of the obstacles. It wasn't until my mom congratulated me on finishing 63rd out of 1,119 in my age group that I actually got around to looking up the results. At a quick glance, I finished 487th overall out of close to 20,000, though I'm more proud of the awkward belly flop I did in the mud pit at the end of the race.
As you can probably guess, the free beer that came with race registration did not go to waste for yours truly. After crawling through the mud and running up some pretty wicked hills, that Shock Top Ale tasted pretty darn good.

RAGBRAI blog

2011-07-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

Quick post this time.

If anybody is interested in keeping up with this year's edition of RAGBRAI, click here. That is a link to the official RAGBRAI blog, which will be updated several times a day throughout the week.

As for the Warrior Dash I ran in yesterday, I will likely do a short post later today or tomorrow on the event and will try to write a column separately for next Monday's Health & Fitness page. Definitely a memorable race, to say the least.

*******If you're looking for any more reading material on RAGBRAI, here are the blog entries I wrote while doing it last summer:

Mankato riders on RAGBRAI

2011-07-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

America's largest -- and arguably best -- noncompetitive bike ride kicks off tomorrow morning as the 39th edition Register's Annual Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) departs from Glenwood.

From there, the 10,000-plus riders will travel east across the Hawkeye State with nightly stops in Atlantic, Carroll, Boone, Altoona, Grinnell, Coralville and Davenport. Collectively, the week-long ride will be 454 miles, ranking right in the middle compared to previous years in terms of distance and difficulty.

As much as I enjoyed doing RAGBRAI last year, for a variety of reasons, I won't be embarking on it this year. However, there will be other Mankato residents riding across Iowa. At least 11 of them, in fact.

With the exception Chris Hughes, the 11 riders are all members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Mankato. The group departed from the church this morning, with the bikes and gear loaded on trailers and each member sporting a fashionably yellow team shirt. Hughes termed himself as the "honorary Catholic member" of the group, as he is a longtime friend of another rider in the group.

With the exception of David Rice, all 11 riders will be doing RAGBRAI for the first time. Like any other first-time rider, they are all nervous and excited for the experiences that await them in Iowa. The week won't be easy for them, but it will indeed be memorable.

Good luck to the Mankato riders. May their bikes cooperate and their course be relatively flat.

I managed to snap a quick photo of the group before they left:

(L to R) First row: Gail Finley, Bob Finley, Steve Dunn, Vicki Dunn, Truman Rice, David Rice and Dennis Cramblit

Second row: Lee Ganske, Linda Ganske, Carrie Rice and Chris Hughes

A pretty decent bike-to-drive ratio

2011-07-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

Some of my readers might recall my month-long goal in April to bike/run more miles than I drove in my car. You also might remember that I accomplished the goal, with cardio disciplines totaling 625 miles versus 576 miles driving.

I haven't written about it much since then, but my bike-powered commuting hasn't let up. I still use my bike to get EVERYWHERE in town, whether it's going to the movies, doctors appointments, or trips out to Land of Memories Park to play some disc golf. Heck, I even did another round of grocery shopping on the ol' bike recently (though my load this time was considerably lighter than the one I wrote about in April).

Somewhere along the line, it occurred to me that bike transportation isn't just a blog gimmick to gain a few readers; it's a legitimate way to save some money, get some exercise and -- if you want to take the environmentalist approach on it -- cut down on pollution.

I'm not actively trying to out-distance my car anymore, but I still keep track of biking miles on a regular basis (old triathlon training habits die hard) and I recently remembered that I wrote down the mileage on my car at the beginning of April for the run/bike vs. drive challenge. Out of sheer curiosity, I totaled up my driving mileage since then and I compared it to my biking miles.

Here is what it totals out to (updated from my Facebook post a couple days ago, as the mileage has changed since then):

Driving - 2,687 miles

Biking - 2,294 miles

As you can see, my car has taken a substantial lead on my

bike for mileage. It will be taking a larger lead this weekend too, as I'm driving up to Hastings on Sunday to compete in the Warrior Dash.

However, you have to admit that's a pretty decent bike-to-drive ratio.

*****Note: Out of boredom recently, I took a screen shot of Google Maps and played with it on Adobe Photoshop to create a map the towns I've biked to from Mankato. It doesn't cover EVERY town I've been to (too small of scale to include the St. Clairs and Ellendales of southern Minnesota), but I still think it's pretty cool to look at. The towns are circled in green:

I am a warrior! ... well, sort of

2011-07-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

Like most road race regulars, I typically weigh a variety of factors when determining what events to sign up for.

These are factors that have evolved over time. I used to think about pretty basic points of a race -- cost, location and challenge -- when it came time to fill out the registration forms. All I really cared about was pushing myself physically and trying to see how good I could get at running.

As a result, I signed up for a lot of races (final tally in 2009 alone: five 5Ks, a 10K, a half marathon, a full marathon and three triathlons) and got into better shape than the lethargic, asthmatic version of me from my youth could ever imagine being in.

I still take those aspects into account and I still love the thrill I get from racing. But lately, they haven't been as important to me. There's really only been two factors going through my

head during recent race website surfing: Camaraderie and uniqueness.

The uniqueness factor shouldn't come as a surprise to my regular readers. As I've mentioned in the past, there's only so many run-of-the-mill 5Ks you can race in for before they all start to feel the same. Once the novelty of being able to finish a race wears off, it's only natural to look for events with more quirks and challenges.

Camaraderie is something I haven't written about as much. With a few notable exceptions, most of the races I've signed up for have been solo affairs. While I enjoy my independence and take pride in not being a needy person, I know that the best experiences in life are shared experiences. It's the reason why I still reminisce about club rowing in college, even though three years and a countless number of road races have occurred since then.

So when my friend Justin approached me about racing in the Warrior Dash, let's just say I didn't need much convincing.

The Warrior Dash is a 3-mile obstacle course race going on this weekend (both Saturday and Sunday) at Afton Alps in Hastings. Instead of focusing on mile splits and elevation changes, runners get to worry about things like rappelling down a steep ravine, scaling cargo nets and leaping over a fire pit. And at the end of the race, participants get to unwind with live music and a free beer.

Because it typically draws several thousand participants, the Warrior Dash is done in wave timing. What this means is that runners sign up for specific race times and are sent out with a wave of a few hundred other participants. The wave times go in half-hour increments and range from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. In case anybody's wondering, I'm signed up for the 3:30 p.m. wave on Sunday.

Needless to say, this is quite a bit different from the races I normally sign up for. I'm actually a little nervous about it. Most other races are pretty straightforward to prepare for; just log quality training miles and the rest will take care of itself.

That's definitely not the case here. How do you prepare for crawling through the mud under a barbed wire fence? Or jumping over a fire pit? Those aren't exactly settings on a YMCA treadmill.

In a way though, that's what makes this race so exciting; the great unknown. I don't have a target time in mind, nor do I have the slightest idea about how the race will go. I know I'm in good enough shape to rip off three miles at a pretty decent clip, but that could all change if one of the obstacles gives me trouble.

Whatever the case, I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun.

I'll try to post pictures after the race. The group I'm running with is called the Warrior Wolf Pack, which of course makes most people think immediately of this.

New blog feature

2011-07-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

Any regular readers looking for pointers on marathon training will probably appreciate the new feature on my blog.

In coordination with the early bird registration deadline passing for the Mankato Marathon, the Greater Mankato Convention and Visitors Bureau is introducing a 98 running tips widget for the last 98 days leading up to the race. The tips cover everything from self-motivation to gear you'll need on race day and the widget should be visible on the right-hand rail of my blog (below the race calendar).

As I understand it, the tips are being provided from a variety of credible sources, including sports psychologists, exercise physiologists, dietitians and experienced marathon runners.

Kudos to Christine Nessler and the Greater Mankato Convention and Visitors Bureau for developing this idea. Not only is it informative for novice marathon runners, but it's also a great way to promote the race.

My readers are awesome

2011-07-13T22:34:00.000-07:00

I received an email from a regular reader the other day that I thought was pretty cool. In the interest of not identifying this person without their consent, I won't share the entire message. But here's the part that sticks out:

"i got back into biking 2 years ago, i weighed 270lbs @ 6ft1, i now weigh 190"

Admittedly, I don't usually blog about the specific health benefits of things like biking and running. I'd rather write about the joys -- and mishaps -- of doing those activities than the calories I burned and the muscles I worked. Besides, I figure you can probably get that information from a health magazine or any of a number of health websites.

Still, it's great to get reminded of how beneficial regular exercise is. It's also great to hear from readers whose lives have changed for the better because of it.

To the sender of that email: Thank you so much for writing in. It's the reason why I love writing about this stuff.

Take me out to the ballgame...on a bike

2011-07-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

Figured I'd pass this article along to my bike-crazed readership.

My co-worker (baseball blogger Ed Thoma) showed me a link last week to the story of Darren O'Donnell, a 24-year-old Western Washington University graduate who is biking to all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums during the 2011 season. So far, O'Donnell has been to 13 stadiums, biked more than 6,000 miles (the entire trip estimated to be about 10,500 miles) and fixed more than 50 flat tires.

Here is a link to O'Donnell's Facebook page on the bike trip, and here is a link to his Twitter page.

My interest in O'Donnell's six-month trip is two-fold. As an avid cyclist and open advocate for commuting on a bike, I admire his ambition and his willingness to put himself out there. I thought biking across Southern Minnesota by myself was enough of an adventure; I can only imagine what 10,000-plus miles would be like.

O'Donnell's trip also brings back memories of my baseball-crazed childhood. My dad and I used to make yearly road trips to baseball parks around the country, both because we loved watching baseball and because we wanted to experience it in better venues than the Metrodome. We never got around to visiting all 30 MLB parks (I think we got up to about 10), but I always thought that would be a cool thing to attempt over time.

So coming from a life-long baseball fan and a kindred spirit of cycling adventures, bravo Darren O'Donnell and best of luck for the remainder of your travels.

Learning the Loops: St. Clair/Eagle Lake

2011-07-04T14:54:00.000-07:00

Note: This is Part 1 of a four-part series on the bike loops listed in the Greater Mankato Visitors Bureau's biking/hiking trails map

Directions: I began the loop near MSU campus and simply rode it counter-clockwise from there. After crossing County Road 90 on Monks, continue straight (the road turns into Jersey Road and later Jasmine Road) for roughly 3-4 miles until you come across County Road 177 (also known as 170th Street). Take a left onto that, follow it across Highway 22 for about 4 miles until you come to a T in the road. Take a left, followed by a right at the first intersection (County Road 15) and follow that into St. Clair.

Once in St. Clair, take a left onto County Road 28, a right onto Main Street, and a left onto 607th Street (also called County Road 28). That will lead you north out of town toward Eagle Lake. Ride on that road for about 4 miles until you come to a T in the road. Take a left, then take a right at the next T (County Road 27). That will lead you into Eagle Lake.

Once in Eagle Lake, hang a left onto Parkway Ave (the town's main thru road) and follow that east until you come across a stop sign about a mile out of town. Take a right on that road (594th Ave), follow that across Highway 14 and take a left onto Victory Drive.

Notes on the route: Aside from the dip into the Le Sueur River valley outside of Mankato on Monks Ave, riders need not worry about any strenuous inclines to climb. The loop also does a wonderful job avoiding most of the major roadways of the area. You'll have to cross County Road 90, Highway 14 and Highway 22 at some points, but beyond that, the traffic is pretty modest. As far as road maintenance is concerned, all the roads well-paved and didn't require much in terms of pothole-dodging techniques.

There isn't much wind cover for most of the ride, but that's the beauty of loops: Brutal head wind on one half the ride means glorious tail wind on the other half.

Places to eat along the route: If you're looking to carb up at the beginning of the ride, Jake's Stadium Pizza and all its thin crust glory is on Monks Ave near MSU. For a mid-ride snack in St. Clair, there's Uptown Tavern, located off of Main Street. I didn't stop at the tavern during my ride (I was looking to keep expenses to a minimum), but from what I heard from a few locals, they have great burgers and all the normal drink and food selections you'd expect to find at a small-town bar.

If your appetite is really feeling ambitious a few miles down the road, you can try your hand at the 3-pound Duke Burger, which can be found at the Eagles Nest in Eagle Lake. As mentioned in a previous post, the Duke is not to be taken lightly. You'll likely need to bring friends along to help you finish it.

For the last few miles of the loop, if you're looking for something beyond the typical chain restaurants, I recommend Pho Saigon, a Vietnamese restaurant located off of Victory Drive in Mankato. Pretty reasonable prices, a sizable amount of menu options and the food has some real zing to it.

Things to see/do along the route: The drop off into the Le Sueur River valley occurs a few miles south of Mankato on Monks Ave. This normally wouldn't be much of a sight for cyclists (more an indicator of a hill they'll have to climb in the future), but the bluffs rising up out of the river valley are a pretty scenic view to take in. There's also a canoe landing site near the bridge crossing the river. So if you need to cool off from the ride, that wouldn't be a bad spot to do so.

Between St. Clair and Eagle Lake is the major attraction of this loop: Wildwood Park. Prior to the bike trails map being released, I had no idea of the park's existence. I'm guessing a lot of people haven't. It's considerably smaller than some of the state parks in the area and it lacks the campgrounds and other amenities that other parks have, like picnic tables and bathroom facilities.

However, that doesn't mean Wildwood isn't worth the trip. Quite the contrary, I found the park to be pretty cool.

Nestled on a quiet spot of the Le Sueur River (after riding this loop, I'm convinced the Le Sueur would be a fun river to canoe or kayak on), the park has a surprising amount of good hiking trails for its relatively small size.

It also features a 140-foot-long swinging foot bridge across the river (pictured right). The bridge will definitely wobble a bit as you're crossing, but not to worry, it's built sturdy. To my knowledge, it's the only bridge of its kind in this area.

As with the river valley spot outside of Mankato, Wildwood is also a good place to cool down in the river if the summer heat is wearing down your biking buzz. If you're able to pack a fishing rod, there's supposedly a few good spots in the park to cast for walleye, catfish and bullheads as well.

Possible ways to expand the loop: If you're in the mood for some ice cream and feel like biking a few more miles, you can keep heading east on County Road 15 out of St. Clair and hang a left onto County Road 3. That will take you into Janesville, where the town's Dairy Queen is located just off the town's Main Street. For all the lake lovers out there, if you head north on County Road 27 out of Eagle Lake, you're only a few short miles of pedaling away from Lake Washington, one of the premier fishing and boating lakes in the area.

Bike trip destinations: Eagles Nest

2011-06-30T07:59:00.000-07:00

Distance from downtown Mankato: 12 miles if you use the Sakatah Trail, 7 miles if you just ride on Madison Ave instead.

Route I took: My friend Nick and I tried to use trails whenever possible for our route to the restaurant. We hopped on the Sakatah Trail near Highway 14, and after riding west on the trail for about 6 miles, we took a right onto County Road 27 and followed that into Eagle Lake. We were also going to use the Minnesota River Trail, but it was closed at the time due to flooding. If you're using this route, the Eagles Nest will be on your right off the town's main road (just past S 2nd Street).

By the time we were ready to head home, it began to rain outside and we reasoned that a shorter route was probably a good idea. We basically just rode Madison Ave back into Mankato, took a left onto the bike trail running alongside Victory Drive and took a right onto the Glenwood Ave bike trail. It's definitely a quicker route, but if you're going to the Eagle's Nest to chow down on the Duke Burger, a longer ride might not be a bad idea to help burn off the calories.

General ease/challenge of ride: Regardless of which route you take, the ride isn't overly difficult. The mileage is relatively short and the hills on Glenwood Ave and the Sakatah Trail are both pretty gradual slope-wise. Fair warning: There isn't much wind cover once you get out of the river valley, a fact we learned thanks to a pretty vicious head-wind on our ride out to the restaurant.

Safety of the ride: It all depends on which route you take. If the Minnesota River Trail is open and you want to stick to bike trails, the Sakatah route avoids heavy traffic and only has a few troublesome intersections (you have to cross Highway 14 on County Road 27 to get into Eagle Lake). Obviously, if you're riding on Madison Ave for the majority of the trip, you'll have to be more cautious of cars and be prepared to stop at more intersections. However, Madison does have sidewalks running alongside of it in Mankato, and once you're out of the city, the traffic drops off significantly.

Appeal of the destination: One of my favorite guilty pleasure shows in college and young adulthood is the gluttonous "Man vs. Food."

For those that have never seen the show, it's pretty much exactly what the title indicates. The show's host (a former chef who happens to have a massive appetite) travels to various restaurants across the U.S. that have some sort of eating "challenge" to attempt. The challenges could be anything from a small mountain of pancakes to a steak the size of a couch cushion (something John Candy did with hilarity in "The Great Outdoors"), and whoever successfully completes the challenge typically gets awarded with some sort of trinket to commemorate the occasion, like a t-shirt, a free meal or their name engraved on a plaque.

It's hard to explain why I like the show so much. Maybe it's because it helps me reminisce on the glory days of childhood, when I could eat whatever I wanted and get away with it thanks to a jackrabbit-like metabolism. Or perhaps I'm just envious of a guy who gets to eat for a living.

However, it's more than likely because I'm part of a culture that embraces extreme eating like it was some sort of sporting accomplishment. It's the reason why so many people tune in to the national hot dog eating contest and marvel at competitors who seem to have bottomless stomachs. Most of us can't eat (or wouldn't want to eat) what they are capable of consuming, which in turn leads to us admiring them.

It's also the reason why my friend and I decided to make the trek over to the Eagles Nest.

Don't get me wrong, there's a lot to like about the Eagle Lake staple. It has a good sports bar atmosphere, plentiful beer selection and a lot of decent eating options.

But we didn't go there for the atmosphere; we went there for the Duke Burger.

The signature Eagle's Nest menu item contains two pounds of beef, eight slices of bacon and five slices of cheese, all on a one-pound bun. It also comes with an unlimited supply of lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, onions and pickles.

The Duke Burger was created more than 20 years ago, when then-owner Lester Dittrich wanted to spice things up at the restaurant. The burger took off almost immediately and has since become an attraction that draws patrons from all over the country.

My friend and I had both seen pictures of the Duke prior to biking to the Eagles Nest, so we both kind of knew what to expect. However, that didn't stop us from gasping when the $20+ burger was brought to our table. It's roughly a foot in diameter and has to be rolled out on a pizza pan using a rolling pin. It also has to be flipped with a spatula the size of a cookie sheet.

The restaurant's menu says the Duke serves 4-6 people, but according to the waitress, many of the people who order it attempt to attack it solo. Reasoning that a burger apiece would likely send us both into a food coma, my friend and I decided to split one in half. Our preferred drink for washing the mass amounts of burger down was Summit with a side of ice water.

Despite our appetite being built up from the biking, we were not able to finish the Duke. There was a hockey puck-sized portion of it left when we both reached the point of maximum capacity.

(note: I would later learn that an 11-year-old girl managed to eat the Duke on her own, thus wounding my pride a smidgen)

I won't say it was the best burger I've ever eaten. It's a classic quantity-over-quality scenario and I'll take a burger and fries at Guenther's Cafe over the Duke Burger any day of the week.

However, it does make for a pretty cool photo opportunity.

Reflecting on the Root: Lanesboro and the trail

2011-06-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

In a lot of ways, Lanesboro is kind of in it's own little world.

Tucked deep in the valley of the Root River, the self-proclaimed "bed and breakfast capital of the world" has a natural feel of seclusion to it. It's a hefty driving distance from most metropolitan areas and high river valley bluffs rise up on each side of the town to separate it from the outside world (and create terrible cell phone reception).

Major highways are nowhere to be found in the downtown area of Lanesboro. As a matter of fact, the busiest roadway through town is probably that of the Root River Trail, the premier bike trail in the area and a big part of the reason I decided to do a three-day, 290-mile bike ride out to southeastern Minnesota last week.

Admittedly, my expectations for Lanesboro were pretty high going into the trip. The community has long been described to me as being something of a Utopian community, where all the citizens are friendly, the pastries are tasty and the industry remains untouched by the Wal-Marts and McDonalds of the world. It's as if the town was straight out of "Prairie Home Companion" or something.

Add in a 60-mile bike trail, a vibrant arts culture and an Amish presence in the area, and my intrigue for Lanesboro was through the roof. My affinity for bike trails is pretty obvious, but my appreciation for Amish culture is a little more subtle. I think their sense of community and ability to get by without modern conveniences are both traits to admire (albeit admire from afar, as I am currently writing this on a laptop while listening to music on my mp3 player).

So did Lanesboro meet my expectations? Was it worth biking 140 miles through wind and rain?

Well, yes and no.

From what I saw of the Root River Trail (I only biked on about 15 miles of it due to a bridge being closed outside of Lanesboro), the lofty descriptions I head about it were absolutely true. It is a wonderfully-maintained trail with picturesque river valley bluffs seemingly around every corner. Some bike trails were built for speed; this one was built to enjoy the scenery.

I also can't complain much about Lanesboro. The local shops and boutiques are fun to browse through even if you're not planning on buying anything and there is also a wealth of great eating options (I ate at Riverside on the Root and Rhino's Pizza & Sub Shoppe, both delicious choices) to enjoy. For the outdoors enthusiast, there's kayaking, golf, fishing, hiking and, of course, biking all readily available near downtown. The town also has a thriving arts culture, with a local theater company, a history museum and an art gallery to indulge in.

Bear in mind, all of these attractions are located in a town that's smaller than Nicollet population-wise.

So how did Lanesboro not live up to hype? What blemishes could I possibly have for this Utopian town of cycling goodness?

Call it a variety of small factors and an unforeseen aspect of biking there instead of driving there.

Timing was definitely a factor. The local theater company didn't have a show playing the night I was in Lanesboro and the art gallery or history museum were both closed while I was in town (their hours are more afternoon-oriented). Due to the relatively tight schedule, I also didn't have time for an Amish tour or any kayaking.

Some of Lanesboro's "attractions" didn't really appeal to me either. The town's well-known bed & breakfast culture means little to a lone tent camper and it's lack of a grocery store proved frustrating when it came time to buy provisions for the long ride home.

Beyond all that, my initial predictions of the trip proved incorrect. I thought biking out to Lanesboro instead of driving there would make me appreciate the destination that much more, kind of like how food tastes better after a hard day of work.

However, to some extent, biking out to Lanesboro actually made me appreciate the journey more than the destination.

Had I simply driven to Lanesboro, I undoubtedly would've spent more time there and less time in the towns along the way. There wouldn't have been the memories of eating at Marv's Bar & Grill in Hayfield, tent camping at a park in Grand Meadow or sleeping on some random person's porch in Ellendale (still can't believe that happened). Instead, I would've concentrated the three days on taking in all the sights, sounds and activities of Lanesboro.

Does that mean I would have rather driven to Lanesboro instead of biking there? Heck no! It was great exercise and I had a blast experiencing all those small towns along the way.

All it means is that Lanesboro wasn't the only lasting memory of my trip. And that next time, maybe I'll take a full week off.

Reflecting on the Root: Planning to not have a plan

2011-06-18T09:30:00.001-07:00

A few scattered thoughts on my Lanesboro bike trip that will eventually resemble a point:

When I stopped to fill my water bottles at a gas station in Brownsdale (northeast of Austin about 10 miles), I came across an elderly man that asked about my trip. Since this was during my ride out to Lanesboro (when I had brutal head wind and got rained on several times), the unforgiving weather was the main topic of conversation. While the man agreed that it wasn't ideal conditions for a long ride, he said something that stuck with me for the rest of the trip: "If you sit around waiting for the perfect weather to do something, it's never going to happen." I think that's an interesting point. Most days carry a risk of rain, wind, hail or other unpleasant weather occurring, but that doesn't have to stop you from doing what you want to do. (unless you ignore weather reports and narrowly miss biking through a hailstorm, which happened to me last summer, not my brightest moment)
The routes I took to get to and from Lanesboro weren't remotely close to the ones I initially planned. I had to adjust the ride out on a fly due to dirt roads and I got directions for the ride back from a store owner in Lanesboro (quick tangent: Google maps should seriously consider adding a feature that shows which roads are paved and which road's aren't, it would've saved me a lot of grief)
As it turns out, some of the best roads to bike on between Mankato and Lanesboro in terms of scenery, traffic and safety (Highway 218, the back roads from Fillmore to Stewartville and the back roads out of Ellendale, to name a few) were roads I had no intention of riding on when the trip started.
One of the better meals I had on the trip (the $5 burger-fries-Mich Golden Light combo with free popcorn at Marv's in Hayfield) was in a town I never would have passed through had I followed my initial directions.
With all due respect to Lanesboro, the most memorable moment of my trip didn't occur in the quaint river valley town with all the quirky shops and bike trails. It occurred in the nondescript town of Ellendale, where a local was kind enough to let me crash on his porch. That was something I never could have planned for or anticipated. The only reason I was even in Ellendale at the time was because I biked past sundown in an attempt to get closer to home and lessen the miles I had to bike on Friday.

Taking all those thoughts into account, here's my point: The biggest reason my trip went so well wasn't because I was well-prepared for it (I should've brought more warm clothes), had good luck for it (too much crappy weather and my camp stove broke), or even because I was in excellent shape for it (my legs are still a little sore). It's because I was flexible with my plans and made adjustments as the situation dictated.

It's almost impossible to keep a tight schedule if you're traveling by bike. There's just too many variables (weather, fatigue and bike malfunctions, to name three) that can swing your travel time by several hours.

Heck, the 50-mile stretch between Mankato and Ellendale took me nearly two hours less on the ride thanks mostly to the wind conditions being more favorable. I can't see wind having the same effect on a car's travel time, unless the wind were at hurricane speeds.

It's not that I didn't plan anything going into the trip. I meticulously mapped out my routes ahead of time and had the phone number of every bike shop from Lanesboro written down just in case my bike broke down to a point where I couldn't fix it.

I also had a basic idea of the things I wanted to do on the trip. I wanted to see the Mystery Cave (check), I wanted to hear some live music in Lanesboro (check) and I wanted to tour an Amish community (didn't get to do that one).

But when it came to finding places to eat or sleep, I pretty much just played it by ear. If I was hungry (which was basically all the time), I stopped in the next town and looked for a restaurant. If I was tired or if it was getting late, I stopped in the next town to look for a place to camp (I wanted to camp either in towns or near towns so I'd be close to water if I needed it).

In a lot of ways, I found myself trying to have the mindset Eric and Christie Nelson had on their bike trip to South America. I wanted to let the world impact me and I wanted to step out of my comfort zone. This helped me be more receptive to the people I met along the way, and in a way, I think it made me more approachable from their end.

Granted, this isn't a mindset that works for everyone. I know plenty of Type A personalities that pride themselves on having a plan and always like to be prepared for what they're doing. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's a lot less nerve-wracking to know where you're sleeping ahead of time, and you also don't run the risk of running out of food or water in the middle of nowhere.

But if there's one thing I learned from this trip, it's this: Sometimes, the best plan is to not have a plan.

Riding to the Root: Home, sweet home

2011-06-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

It feels good to be home.

Thanks to some favorable wind this morning (it's about time!), I managed to get back into Mankato a few minutes shy of noon.

The Ellendale to Mankato stretch today was easily the fastest I've biked for the entire trip: Roughly 50 miles in less than 3 1/2 hours. Not terribly fast compared to competitive bike races, but competitive cyclists aren't typically hauling 25 pounds of gear with them. I'm actually pretty proud of that ride; I didn't expect to get back to Mankato until at least 1, if not later.

Aside from the weather, I think home sickness might have had something to do with my accelerated cycling pace. I miss my apartment, I miss being able to cook my own food, and most of all, I miss my bed.

I'll write more later. For the time being though, I need to do three things ASAP: Unpack my bike, take a shower and grab a bite to eat. The breakfast I had at Ellendale Cafe was delicious, but after a long morning of cycling, it's not holding me over any longer.

Riding to the Root: Sleeping in luxury

2011-06-17T04:31:00.000-07:00

Let's wind the clock back to last night.

I got into Ellendale just before 10:30 and told myself I was either going to: a.) Find a park or open field to set my tent up; or b.) Press on to St. Olaf Lake Park between Ellendale and New Richland, meaning I would have to bike on a brutally-bumpy stretch of Highway 30 at night.

Not wanting to choose the second option, I reasoned that I would ask whoever I saw in town if there was a place nearby to camp. Only problem with that reasoning was that I was in a small town late at night on a Thursday. The town was pretty much dead ... except for a lone bar in Ellendale's downtown area. There weren't many people inside, but I figured somebody might be able to point me in the right direction.

No luck with the bartender. He said the only place he knew of was a rest stop up the road a couple miles on Interstate 35; not going to bike that. So I left the bar wondering if I would be able to find a good spot to camp out in the country where I wouldn't bother anyone. It would be tough enough to find such a spot in daylight, let alone late at night.

But just as I was about to hop on bike and continue on my way, I came across a few bar patrons that were outside having a smoke. One of them asked me where I was headed, and I told him Mankato eventually, but finding a place to sleep was a top priority. After all, I had already biked about 90 miles.

And the bar patron responded with the following: "Hell dude, you can just come crash at my place."

I told him I only needed enough space in his backyard to set up my tent, but he insisted on being more accommodating. He set a futon mattress out on his screened-in porch, allowed me to take a hot shower and even gave me a few beers as he and his friends conversed with me about my travels around a camp fire in his back yard.

So as I'm writing this, I am no longer suffering from the back pains that come with sleeping on the ground, nor am I grimy from a full day of biking. Instead, I slept on a comfy futon mattress and feel refreshed from a hot shower.

I almost don't want to go back to real life. This is just too awesome.

Riding to the Root: Moving right along

2011-06-16T17:55:00.001-07:00

Quick post this time, as I am hoping to get back on the road to put in another 15-20 miles before sundown (it's about 8 p.m. presently).

I am currently indulging in the daily special at Marv's Bar & Grill in Hayfield (burger, fries AND a Mich Golden Light for $5?! Yes, please!), which is located about 20 miles east of Interstate 35. The ride has been going well today. The weather has been great, the bike has cooperated and I've put in about 65 miles despite not getting started til after 1 p.m.

Nothing too exciting to report from the road. I stopped to stretch my legs and get some water in Stewartville. But aside from that, I've been pedaling pretty nonstop. The directions I got from a shop owner in Lanesboro were fantastic, as they avoided major highways until Stewartville and, best of all, avoided all dirt roads!

I'm currently looking into revising my route home to avoid the Ellendale/New Richland stretch of Highway 30. It involves cutting up around St. Olaf Lake. I've heard the roads are paved, so I might give that a shot.

Time to hit the road. See you all later.

Riding to the Root: Time to head home

2011-06-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, a morning of unexpected leisure can be a good thing.

My ambitions to explore the Root River Trail were stunted today, as a trail bridge between Lanesboro and Rushford is currently closed for repairs. One of the guys on the construction crew pointed me in the direction of back roads detour, but it would have added about 6 miles to my ride and involved going up some BRUTAL river valley hills (think Main Street in Mankato).

Consequently, I instead spent the morning walking around Lanesboro, checking out all the shops, conversing with some of the locals and buying a giant caramel roll at the local pastry shop (delicious!). I also rented out a fishing pole to get a few casts in at a popular pond in town (no luck).

I was going to partake in their famed "Amish tour," but the tour would've taken more than three hours to complete and likely would've kept me in Lanesboro longer than I planned for. The kayak rental service in town was also tempting, but according to locals, the river is still very chilly from the late start to summer, and after spending the last couple days feeling soaked from the rain, I'll gladly stay dry.

Can't say that I mind taking a more leisurely morning than planned. I did my fair share of biking to get here and still have a heck of ride to get home. A little relaxation was definitely welcome, and in a town like Lanesboro, leisure is at a premium.

I'll touch more on the Lanesboro experience in a later post, but for the time being, I need to hit the road. On the advice of some of the locals, I'm adjusting my return route to Mankato in lieu of dirt roads that I was unaware of. I'd map the route out for my readers, but the internet here is frustratingly slow.

My goal is to make it to the Stewartville/Blooming Prairie area in time for dinner. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my bike can hold together for the rest of the trip. It's been good so far...

Riding to the Root: Here comes the sun

2011-06-16T06:15:00.000-07:00

After two days of biking through rain and wind, an old friend finally decided to show itself from beyond the Lanesboro horizon.

The old friend I'm talking about is the sun.

Oh, it's made a slight appearance here and there since my trip began, but those appearances were fleeting. It would emerge from the clouds long enough to say hello, only to tuck itself back behind the cover before I had a chance to return the greeting.

Well, that won't be the case today. It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL outside. There's no wind to speak of and there is hardly a cloud in the sky. Making my morning even better, the person tent-camping next to me happened to be on a group bicycling tour and told me all the cool spots to see on the Root River Trail over a cup of hot chocolate.

The sun makes my entire day seem more optimistic. Instead of dealing with wet clothes, wet camping gear and the ongoing notion that I should have packed warmer clothes (seriously, it's JUNE), I can now dry off all my gear and let myself warm back up. I don't need to rush through things in an attempt to avoid another onslaught of rain; I can take my time and enjoy the scenery.

My plan is to take in a few sights and start heading back to Mankato by the early afternoon. I won't get all the way home today, but I'm hoping to get near the I35 area so my ride home tomorrow won't be too arduous.

Since it's a nice day outside, I won't waste time with other details. Instead, I'll leave you with this clip. It's a Richie Havens cover of my favorite Beatles song.

Riding to the Root: Appreciating the little things

2011-06-15T17:57:00.000-07:00

I think it's a pretty universal notion that you appreciate things in life a lot more if you have to exert effort to attain them.

It's the reason a person will cherish a possession to no end if they had to pay for it instead of having it given to them. It's also the reason a craftsman will take a lot more pride in something they built rather than something they bought.

Or, in my case, I appreciate Lanesboro and the Root River Trail a whole heck of a lot more knowing that I took the time and effort to bike here rather than drive here.

Don't get me wrong, you don't need a 140-mile bike ride to appreciate Lanesboro. The town rocks. There's cool little shops everywhere, TONS of great eating options, awesome river valley scenery and, of course, the Root River Trail passing through it. There's a total outdoors vibe here, with everything from kayak rentals to golf to Amish tours for visitors to enjoy.

However, there's plenty of subtle aspects of it that I definitely would not have appreciated had I simply driven here.

For starters, there's the Root River Trail. Sure, it's scenic and well-maintained. Anyone can appreciate that. But after biking on crappy back roads and highways and dealing with passing cars for a day and a half, the site of that bike trail was like an oasis in the desert to me.

Or take the place I'm currently eating at in Lanesboro (Riverside on the Root). There's a decent live music set going on (pictured in this post, they just played a cover to "Blister in the Sun," awesome), good beer selection and the food definitely won't leave you feeling disappointed. But after living off mostly energy bars and water for two days, the taste of Cajun Alfredo pasta with a side of Summit Ale is bordering on divine. Plus the live music is a lot easier to appreciate when one of the headphones on your mp3 player stops working mid-trip.

Heck, even the icy cold shower I took tonight at the campground I'm staying at was something to cherish. It might have been a painful 5 minutes, complete with chattering teeth and a shivering body. But after the buildup of sweat and grime that comes with two days of biking, I didn't care. I needed to feel clean, water temperature be damned.

That's the real reason I took this trip: To appreciate the little things. Like most people, I take too much in life for granted. But after bracing the wind, rain and fatigue for two days to get to Lanesboro, I'm definitely not taking it for granted.

On the flip side of that, after I tough out those same elements to return to Mankato, you can bet that I won't be taking as much for granted there either. A full fridge and a bed to sleep on will most definitely be a welcome site.

Riding to the Root: Mystery Cave is no longer a mystery

2011-06-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

Blanche DuBois had a classic line in "Streetcar Named Desire":

"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."

That saying rang true today, when my planned detour to the Mystery Cave (added on about 15 miles to my trip) almost went to waste. I was biking east on Highway 16 between Spring Valley and Preston when I came across the road I needed to head south on to get to the park. As it turns out, it was gravel. And if that wasn't enough, according to a passing motorist, it was freshly-laid gravel (meaning it was even looser than normal). At that point, it also started to rain.

(this pretty much sums up my reaction to the situation)

Discouraged, I resigned myself to the notion that I might just have to bike to Preston without seeing Minnesota's largest cave. As much as I wanted to see the park, I wasn't going to bike on a gravel road for eight miles to get there. The chances of my bike getting through that without a flat tire were zilch.

So I pressed on toward Preston on Highway 16, reasoning that I would be able to spend more time on the Root River Trail instead. After all, that's the main reason I decided to take this trip in the first place.

However, about a mile down the road, the same motorist I had asked previously about the gravel road honked his horn at me and asked me if I wanted a ride to the cave entrance. He wasn't headed that way, but he said he thought my trip was "pretty badass" and he didn't want to see me not get to where I wanted to go on account of some unforeseen bad roads.

So after thanking him about a million times, I loaded my bike into his trunk and headed to the cave. As you can see from the photo, it was definitely worth the detour (fun fact: the cave is more than a mile long).

However, it wouldn't have possible without the kindness of a stranger.

Thanks man, you made my day.

As for my current location, I'm in Preston and am hoping to make it to Lanesboro in time to beat the rain and possibly grab some dinner.

On that note, see y'all later.

Riding to the Root: Maiden camp stove use unsuccessful

2011-06-15T05:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I couldn't count on ALL my equipment working according to plan. I just figured it'd be my bike to malfunction first.

After setting up camp in Grand Meadow last night and NARROWLY beating the heavy rain that hit the area, I figured it was as good a time as any to test out my new camp stove. I got it for Christmas from my dad and at first glance, the thing was pretty much designed to be a backpacker's best friend. It's lightweight and packs into an area no bigger than a cell phone.

I brought along a package of Tuna Helper to test it's mettle, and as the water slowly approached boiling point, the stove seemed to work quite well. It started up easily and the flame was pretty easy to adjust.

However, a combination of winds and a faulty spot welding job on the stove conspired to do this:

As you can probably guess, a camp stove doesn't work so well when it's in two pieces. The water spilled everywhere and the Tuna Helper has been discarded as dead weight. Hopefully I can send the stove in to get it fixed when I get home.

In the meantime, I guess I'll have to live off restaurant/gas station food for the rest of the trip.

Time to head out to the Mystery Caves. I'll check back in later.

Riding to the Root: The war against wind

2011-06-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

When I was in junior high, one of my favorite Vikings players was running back Leroy Hoard.

It wasn't because he blew anyone away statistically. Robert Smith was the Vikings featured back at the time and Randy Moss and Cris Carter were putting up far more illustrious offensive numbers. There also wasn't anything flashy about him. He wasn't a likely candidate to break for a 60-yard run a la Adrian Peterson, nor was he likely to blow through a defensive line like an in-his-prime Jerome Bettis.

No, Hoard endured himself to me for being what NFL analysts termed as a "grind-it-out" running back. He hardly ever broke for a long run, but he could always be counted on for 3-5 yards a pop and was one of the best at "moving the chains." Matter of fact, I distinctly remember a commentator saying this about Hoard: "If you need two yards, he'll give you three. But if you need 6 yards, he'll also give you three."

You're probably wondering what this little flashback has to do with my biking exploits to the Root River Trail. Well, as I sit in a gas station in Dexter, waiting for the rain to blow over, only one thing comes to mind when I look back on a full day of cycling: Wind.

Simply put, the wind has been relentless today, coming from the southeast all day and ranging in speeds from 15-25 mph (a woman in Lansing told me that Austin had a wind advisory today, I believe it). Given the direction of my travels (south and east), the wind was kind of like having an anchor attached to my bike.

I dealt with the wind fairly well at first. But as the day wore on, it drained my energy and sapped me of much of my enthusiasm.

However, rather than lamenting about how Mother Nature dealt me a crappy hand and calling it a day, I settled into a grind-it-out mode, much like Hoard back in the day. I didn't care if I had to downshift to lower gears of hop off my bike and walk for a stretch. All that I cared about was making forward progress.

This isn't a race, and I'm not trying to get to Lanesboro in record time. If I were going for speed, I wouldn't have packed most of the things that are currently bungeed/strapped to my bike. I also wouldn't have brought a laptop with to keep my readership entertained.

No, this trip is closer to the principles I lived by at RAGBRAI last summer. Nobody cares how you get there, just so long as you get there. If that means having to hop off the bike and walk, so be it.

Just keep moving the chains...

*On a positive note, my bike had zero malfunctions today and, up until now, I've had good luck with avoiding the rain that has apparently blanketed the state. The people I've met along the way have also been exceptionally nice. If the rain lets up, I might try to grind out a few more miles before setting up camp for the night.

Riding to the Root: So far, so good

2011-06-14T07:01:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the wind-blown roads of Waseca County.

It is 9 a.m. and I am currently in the town of Waldorf. I've been on the road for about 2 1/2 hours and I am between 25-30 miles into my trip (I would look up the route map for exact mileage, but the Internet connection is pretty slow here).

According to the cashier at Dave's Groceries in Waldorf, there's a 50% chance of rain today. So I'll try to make this post brief in an attempt to put in as many miles as possible before bad weather hits.

The ride has been going fairly well so far. The initial back roads on my route weren't what I was hoping for (I don't like to ride on dirt roads, particularly while hauling 25 pounds of gear), but Highway 83 from St. Clair to Waldorf had surprisingly little traffic. This actually worked out well mileage-wise, as Highway 83 is easily the shortest route for this leg of the trip.

I've also had good luck with the bike so far, as there are no mechanical issues to report (fingers crossed on that). Big thanks to Jon Andersen at Flying Penguin for fixing my broken spoke yesterday on short notice. He's been a big help in making me feel ready for this trip.

Really, the only issue so far has been the wind. According to the Weather Channel, it is blowing at 15 mph coming from the southeast, so it has pretty much been blowing in my face for the entire ride.

The next leg of the route has me heading straight east toward Geneva. Hoping to get there in time for lunch.

Riding to the Root: Backpacking without a backpack

2011-06-14T03:12:00.000-07:00

When you spend seven years in Boy Scouts like I did, you learn a thing or two about backpacking.

There's the little nuances to it, like air-compressing your gear to maximize space. And there's the major points of it, like packing light, remembering a toothbrush and knowing what you'll need for the trip.

Over the years, I've been on a lot of cool backpacking trips (Grand Canyon, Isle Royale and the Boundary Waters, to name a few), all of which required their own degree of preparation. The preparation stage of backpacking is something I always took a major interest in. I like feeling prepared for all scenarios and I've often compared the process of loading gear into your pack to solving a puzzle: It's not just about having the right piece, but also about knowing where that piece is supposed to fit in the puzzle.

The three-day bike trip to Lanesboro that I'm about to leave for requires a lot of same backpacking principles, only with one key difference: There's no "backpack" involved. I don't know if it's the same for other cyclists, but I try to avoid loading gear on my back for long-distance bike rides. My reasons for this include:

It eases the strain on your back and shoulders, which are already being used to support your upper body while riding. Ultimately, your gear's weight (and yourself, for that matter) is being carried by the wheels of your bike. It makes no sense for your back to have to carry that weight as well.
The added items on your back make it more likely that you'll overheat. Wearing a heavy backpack on your back would be like throwing a thick wool blanket over a furnace: Bad times all around.
The weight isn't evenly distributed on your bike. If you're packing gear for a bike trip, you generally want to have it spread out on your bike so the front and rear wheels can share the workload.
Not as important as the other points, but if you're biking shirtless with a backpack, odd tan lines happen.

Lightweight packing also takes on premium importance when it comes to bike trips. The more weight you're carrying, the harder the pedaling. You're also more likely to have bike malfunctions, as the extra weight can put strain on the tires and spokes.

I'm actually having a little trouble with the lightweight concept for this trip. For starters, I'm packing a laptop. I'm also trying to keep costs along the way to a minimum. So instead of staying in hotels and eating at restaurants constantly, I'm packing a tent, a camp stove and four meals worth of food.

However, I'm shaving valuable ounces off in other ways. Instead of bringing my entire wallet, I'm only packing my ID, my insurance cards (worst-case scenario), a check card and some money. Instead of bring full bottles of items (camp soap, toothpaste, ect.) and a full roll of duct tape (a camping essential), I compressed them down into smaller containers. Other luxuries like an air mattress and a pillow are also being left behind.

After taking all of that into account, here is what the items packed onto my bike look like (sans the food, which is in a fanny pack that will be around my waist):

For the sake of keeping the blog entry relatively short, I won't list EVERY item I'm packing. But I will say that I feel decently prepared for the ride.

Electronics, toiletries, maps and my first aid kit are in the handlebar bag. The bike repair kit is on the center bar between the seat and the handlebars. My tent, sleeping bag and a change of clothes are attached to my bike seat via clips and bungee cords.

You'll notice the absence of bike racks in my packing methods. This is for two reasons: I didn't want the extra weight, I didn't want to spend the money on a decent rack unless I needed to. Besides, I used a rack last fall for my trip to Red Wing (a $25 one from Wal Mart, bad choice) and it wound up being more of a headache than it was helpful. I'm not opposed to using racks, but if you can get by without them, more power to you.

Well, that's all I've got for now. Time to hit the road. Hope to check back in later today.

***In case anybody is curious, here is what my gear looked liked before being packed:

Riding to the Root: Figuring out the route

2011-06-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

As my previous post indicated, my 3-day bike trip to the Root River Trail is rapidly approaching. I leave Tuesday morning bright and early and will hopefully be getting to the trail by Wednesday afternoon.

I'm usually a pretty laid-back guy when it comes to planning (I'd rather just take life as it comes), but for something like this, it's a good idea to think things through. After all, the motto of Boy Scouts is to "Be Prepared."

A big part of preparing for a bike trip is figuring out what route you're going to take. Here are five things I try to factor in when I'm planning a route:

Does it avoid most major roadways? At times, it's unavoidable that you're going to have to bike on a main highway. There's only so many back roads and "short cuts" out there. However, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to avoid them whenever possible. You might have to bike a few extra miles, but it's worth it to not a constant stream of cars zipping past you at 60+ mph.
Are the roads at least major enough where they will likely be paved? I used to ride on dirt paths all the time as a kid, but that was with a rugged mountain bike that had thick tires, shock absorbers and a cushy seat. With a road bike, ravel roads are uncomfortable to ride on and they're more likely to cause a flat tire.
Is it relatively easy to remember? Twists and turns are going to happen with any bike ride, particularly one that travels halfway across the state. However, it shouldn't be confusing to the point where you have to stop at every other intersection to look at your map. Nobody likes being lost, but there's also very few people that enjoy toting a mass of road maps with them on a bike trip.
Is there anything cool to see along the way? If you're got the time to do so, some attractions are worth a quick detour to go check out. Why go on a long bike ride if you're not going to stop and smell the roses once in awhile?
Are there potential stops for food and water? Basically, this is just making sure that your route passes through a town every once in awhile. Most towns will at least have a gas station for you to fill up your water bottle and grab a snack. There's nothing worse than being out in the middle of nowhere with no water (well, except for having a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, that might be worse).

With all of that in mind, here are the routes I came up with for my trip to the Root River Trail. The return route is different from the initial route because I planned a 15-mile detour to go see the Mystery Caves near Preston.

Feel free to chime in with suggestions on different roads I could take or other cool attractions I could check out along the way.

Riding to the Root River Trail

2011-06-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

While getting bike repairs done at Flying Penguin Outdoor Sports a few weeks back, owner Jon Andersen asked me the following question:

"So, what's the next big cycling adventure?"

Considering my history of two-wheeled travels, it's a legitimate question. However, I didn't really have an answer for him at the time.

It wasn't because I didn't plan on biking at all this summer. I had every intention of continuing my blog series on bike trips to make in the Mankato area and my two-wheeled companion had become my main mode of in-town transportation. Aside from that, I was -- and still am -- hoping to participate in a duathlon this summer.

But as far as hard-core "adventures" go, my ideas were somewhat lacking.

For a variety of reasons -- vacation time, money and scheduling conflicts, to name three -- I will not be participating in RAGBRAI this year. The annual Bicycling Around Minnesota ride also isn't an option, as I will be on vacation in Seattle during that time.

As much as I would love to go on an ambitious bike trip like Eric and Christie Nelson's trek to South America, I likely wouldn't be able to get the time off work. Indeed, like most other people, my imagination can get bogged down by the obligations of everyday life from time to time.

However, a few days after Andersen posed his question to me, my imagination got a shot in the arm in the form of a favorable June schedule. I found out that I had three straight days off from work in the middle of the month, a relative rarity.

My mind immediately went into overdrive. How far can I bike in three days? Are there any sites I'm anxious to see? Is there a bike trail I want to explore?

After pondering these questions and more, I arrived at an answer: The Root River Trail in southeastern Minnesota.

From Tuesday to Friday next week, I will be biking on back roads, sleeping out of a tent and praying for favorable wind as I make my way across the state to this hidden gem of cycling wonderment. Collectively, the trip will be about 300 miles.

Since my RAGBRAI blog entries last year were well-received by readers, I plan on documenting this adventure in a similar fashion. I plan on bringing my laptop with and, wi-fi service permitting, will be writing multiple blog entries along the way.

I've always been curious about the Root River Trail. By all accounts, it's a gorgeous area of the state and the towns located along the trail all make a concentrated effort to be accommodating to cyclists. The trail's central hub of Lanesboro is also considered to be one of the great cycling towns in the state, complete with rich culture and a quaint downtown area.

Truthfully, my initial plans were to drive out to Lanesboro at some point this summer and spend a day biking the Root River Trail. I figured that way I could spend more time enjoying all the perks of the trail and less time worrying about finding a place to sleep.

Most people would probably choose to go the car route as well. It's less time-consuming, requires less effort and has a lot less margin for error (weather, fatigue, bike malfunctions, ect.).

However, when the spirit is starved for adventure, conventional wisdom often gets tossed out the window.

Or in this case, thrown onto a bike seat.

*Here is a link to the Root River Trail website. You know it's a good bike trail when the website alone is fun to look at.

"Learning the Loops" bike series

2011-06-07T16:46:00.001-07:00

As mentioned in a previous post, one of the biggest perks of the new Greater Mankato trails and bike map is the suggested bike loops it has listed for riders to sink their teeth into. The loops vary from 15-35 miles in distance and each will take riders past some of Mankato's more scenic attractions.

Aside from being good exercise, it's also a great way to get to know the community and all the cool sites it has to offer.

As readers of my blog can attest, I'm a big believer in the notion that bike rides should be more about the journey and the appeal of the destination instead of sheer mileage. I've done my share of 80+ mile biking days and in all honesty, I didn't enjoy them as much as the days where I'd bike out to a secluded beach with a good book or head out to the Eagles Nest to sink my teeth into the Duke Burger (blog entry coming soon).

So as you can probably imagine, the suggested bike loops would have a definite to a rider like me. Which is why I'm introducing a 4-part series on my blog called "Learning the Loops." Throughout the summer, I'll be riding on the four suggested loops and giving my readers the 411 things like how difficult the ride was, the cool stuff there was to see and suggestions on how to possibly expand the loops to include other attractions.

Unlike my ongoing bike trip series, it won't focus as much on one destination. Rather, it will be looking at the ride as a whole.

Hope you all are as excited to read about the loops as I am to bike on them!

Stumbling across the Bluff Riders Charge

2011-06-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

While out biking yesterday afternoon, I came across an odd scene on the Red Jacket Trail.

Now, I've ridden on that trail enough times where I kind of know what to expect. I can usually count on seeing crowd of dog walkers, a few runners, the occasional rollerblader and a steady stream of recreational cyclists. The nicer the day (and yesterday was beautiful), the higher the trail traffic.

But the traffic yesterday was even higher than normal. There was an inordinate number of mountain bikers decked out in racing gear, sporting bib numbers and riding on the trail with a "warming up for a race" look on their faces.

As it turns out, there was a good reason for this. Yesterday was the annual Bluff Riders Charg e mountain bike race at Mount Kato, and close to 300 riders were on hand to test their mettle on the considerable trail system the ski resort has to offer.

I'm going to be brutally honest: I had no idea the race was going on and barely even knew that it even existed.

While I am a HUGE advocate of cycling and spend more time out on the trails than I'd care to admit, I haven't really gotten into mountain biking. This is mostly due to the fact that I don't own a mountain bike. If I tried to ride my road bike through the trails of Seven Mile Creek, it would probably fall apart faster than Vanilla Ice's music career.

But that shouldn't suggest that I don't have an appreciation for mountain biking. Far from it.

I think it's a wonderful activity that takes the exploration aspects of cycling to a whole new level. As a matter of fact, the first non-training wheels bike I ever owned was a 15-speed Schwinn mountain bike, and it lasted all the way through high school for me.

So with some time to kill before work, I decided to cut my ride short and watch some of the race. As luck would have it, I got there right as the elite racers were lining up at the starting line. After asking around, I found out that the elite riders would be doing five loops of the trails (trail map here) for a grand total of 23 miles. Most other races were four loops.

Once the race began, I followed a few spectators on some trails to find a good viewing spot for the race and came across a BRUTAL drop-off point in the race course. I remember asking the people around me "Wait, do they actually BIKE down that?!" as I contemplated whether or not I would be able to hike up it without mountain climbing gear.

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera on me to help illustrate to capture the moment (photos on this post are actually from previous years racing), but I will say this about the particular spot I was viewing: It was a doozy. Even the elite riders were struggling with the drop-off, as a couple of them took a tumble down it and more than a few opted to simply walk their bike down the hill rather than risk it.

I wish I could've stayed long enough to see the finish of the race (the athleticism required to navigate those trails is truly a sight to see), but I had to get back to my apartment and get ready for work. Since I'm a big believer in giving my readers as much content to chew on as possible, here's a Bluff Riders Charge-related links to browse at your leisure:

Complete 2011 results (congrats to Jenna Rinehart of Mankato for taking first in the Elite Women's category!)
2008 Free Press story on the Bluff Riders Charge
2007 Free Press story on the Bluff Riders Charge

I might have to start scouring the Internet for a mountain bike I can call my own. It looked like a lot of fun.

Bike trip destinations: Schmidt's Meat Market

2011-06-01T23:32:00.000-07:00

Distance from downtown Mankato: 16 miles using back roads and bike routes. It is probably a mile or two shorter distance-wise if you want to navigate Upper North Mankato or hop on Highway 14, but I'd rather not deal with high-traffic roads.

Route I took: The route I used is exactly the same as the first portion of the route I took to get to New Ulm last summer. It is also part of the 34-mile Red Jacket Loop that's listed on the new Mankato bike trails map. Take the downtown bridge into North Mankato, go straight on Belgrade, take a left onto Lee Blvd and then cross Lookout Drive onto Judson Bottom Road. Take Judson all the way to County Road 41, where you then hang a left and ride on that until you hit the T on County Highway 23. Take a right onto 23 and follow that all the way across Highway 14 into Nicollet. Once in Nicollet, take a right on 4th Street and a left on Pine Street. Schmidt's will be on your right.

General ease/challenge of ride: At 32 miles round trip, it's a fairly challenging distance for recreational cyclists. But for regular century riders, it's cake. There's pretty decent wind cover for the majority of the ride and there's two notable hills: The incline up Judson Bottom leading to County Road 41 (about 4 miles in) and the long climb on Highway 23 near the Nicollet South Bike Shop (miles 11 and 12). Both hills are tough, but neither is unbearable.

Safety of the ride: I've always enjoyed this ride just because of how ideal it is for safe cycling. Aside from having to cross Highway 14, there aren't too many troublesome intersections to worry about. Rumble strip haters can also breathe a sigh of relief because they're nowhere to be

found, meaning bikers have an easier time keeping a safe distance from vehicles. Since a portion of the route is part of a designated bike loop, cyclists have the added comfort of an extra-wide shoulder on County Road 41 that functions as a bike lane. The only road on this route that's a little iffy to bike on is Judson Bottom because it has no shoulder and road itself is in pretty rough shape. However, the traffic there is usually pretty light.

Appeal of the destination: As its namesake would indicate, Schmidt's main appeal is in the sale of meat products. In that regard, few have a better product to offer than the family-owned meat market that's been serving Southern Minnesota since 1947. The mere aroma of meats and seasonings as you walk into the store is enough to make your mouth water.

As far as specialty items go, it's tough to tell what Schmidt's does best. I've always been partial to their beef sticks, but according to an article in the New Ulm Journal, they recently won awards from the Minnesota Association of Meat Processors for their beef jerky and ring bologna. According to a 2010 article in the Free Press, they have 65 different varieties of sausage and 15 kinds of brats. Pretty much whatever taste you might have for meat -- whether it's bacon, jerky, beef sticks, sausages, bratwursts, steaks, ground beef -- is sure to be satisfied with a trip to Schmidt's.

Beyond meat products, Schmidt's also has a wide variety of cheeses (they have cheese curds!), crackers and seasonings stocking their shelves. They also have their fair share of salad and dressing products to accommodate their less carnivorous patrons. For gift-stumped customers, they have pre-packaged gift boxes in a variety of prices that feature summer sausages, beef sticks, cheese blocks, crackers and other goodies.

Looking past the retail aspects of the store (tough to do, seeing as how it's a meat market and all), Schmidt's also has an appeal for it's continuity. Long-time family-owned businesses have a certain aura about them, almost as through they're a portal through time that have found a way to endure through the ages. A few nods to the past are even still on display in the store, from the old meat processing equipment hanging on the walls to ever-visible Schmidty the Butcher statue they've got in the store (pictured right).

Schmidt's certainly has changed over the years. Their store has gotten much larger, their product lines have expanded and their business focus has shifted away from custom meat processing and into retail items. But the fact their on their third generation as a family-owned business tells customers that they have maintained a certain level of quality with their products. And one taste of their summer sausage backs up that claim.

As a whole, the ride also has an appeal for some of the spots you can stop at along the way. Minnemishinona Falls near the turning point of Judson Bottom and County Road 41, and Nicollet South Bike Shop is located off of Highway 23 if you want to look at bike products or need to get a flat tire repaired (yes, that happened to me once on this ride). Those two locations are

marked on the route map with ice cream cones, mostly because the markings available on mapmyrun.com are quite limited.

The Minnemishinona park area isn't nearly as developed as its Minneopa counterpart, but it's still a pretty cool site to check out and it's currently in the middle of a major overhaul. A steel truss bridge was recently constructed over the falls (Free Press story here) and a trail is being built around the bridge that will eventually link up with the bike path that travels up Rockford Road.

**Note: The photo I have of the falls is from last summer, I was going to get picture of the bridge when I did this ride recently, but it started to rain as I was coming back from Nicollet. Combine that with the flat tire, and I was in no mood to stop anywhere, unless it was a bar.

Conquering the 10Kato

2011-05-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

After a 6-month hiatus from road races (an eternity if you love running as much as I do), I finally broke the seal on the 2011 racing season with the 10Kato Memorial Day Run this morning. I'm not sure why I took so much time off from racing, but it's good to be back.

Despite having ran everything from 5K's to marathons in the past, I was actually kind of nervous at the start of 10Kato. Long training runs have been sporadic at best for me this spring (I've been doing a lot more biking than running), and if that wasn't enough, I pulled my groin playing softball last week.

I've spent most of the last few days icing and doing some light stretching with the hopes of healing up enough to run. Honestly, my main goal was to finish race without making the injury worse. Besting my time from two years ago was a distant secondary goal.

At the risk of overlapping content-wise with a column I plan on writing for tomorrow's paper about the race, I'll keep my blog post relatively brief. However, I will say this about the race: I was pleasantly surprised.

Despite struggling with the humidity and actually having to (gasp!) stop and walk a few times in the last couple miles, I finished in 40:48, placed 10th overall and beat my old time by more than 20 seconds. I definitely did not see that happening when a group of volunteers shot me a series of "get moving, you wimp" glares as I walked past them.

I guess this is a sign that I need to get out and do more road races. It obviously wasn't my best run in terms of pacing, but it was a blast nonetheless and I still get a rush when the finish line comes into view.

Congrats to all the other runners and walkers who participated in the race! It was good to see you all out on the trail!

*My coworker Amanda also partook in the 10Kato festivities, completing the 2-mile walk while wearing jeans and makeup (a bold strategy attire-wise). Her blog post on it can be viewed here.

My first scraped knee of the year

2011-05-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

Even the most seasoned of cyclists can take a tumble from time to time.

It's kind of unavoidable if you go riding enough. Sometimes there's an unforeseen obstruction in the road that you don't spot until it's too late. Other times, it's a careless motorist that's oblivious to your existence.

In my case, it was the combination of a sharp turn and some unforeseen mud on the bike path near Riverfront Park.

I was trying to get in a quick 10-mile ride on my dinner break on Wednesday and decided to bike the Minnesota River Trail from Sibley Park to the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail changeover. I figured I'd been neglecting that stretch of trail this spring (not without good reason, the downtown trail entrance near my apartment is still closed) and an evening with pleasant weather was as good a time as any to revisit it.

The ride was going wonderfully at first. I was enjoying the river scenery and the stresses of work were melting away like they always tend to do when I'm out biking.

When you ride on a trail enough times, it kind of becomes second nature. You bike through turns a little faster because you know exactly how they bend. You also know where every hill is and what side of the trail to bike on so as to avoid potholes.

Despite my spring-time hiatus, I have that type of familiarity with the Minnesota River Trail. I've ridden on it a countless number of times and the right-hand bend in the trail near the amphitheater in Riverfront Park is one that I'm very well acquainted with.

However, that acquaintance does not include the mud that was caked on the trail. Having not noticed the mud ahead of time (again, I'm almost too familiar with the trail and probably wasn't paying enough attention), I took the turn at a speed I normally would have and the end result was my bike tires giving out from under me.

Pavement, meet leg.

Total damages from the fall: A silver dollar-sized raspberry on my knee (not going to post pictures of it because that would be gross), a scraped-up leg and a busted mp3 player. Not my finest moment on bike.

But as the old saying goes: Failure is not falling down, but refusing to get back up. I've taken my share of falls and had my share of bad luck on a bike over the years, but that doesn't stop me from getting back out there.

I always figure misfortunes are a way of testing your mettle. My response to the latest test? I biked to softball league yesterday and went for a 12-mile ride in the rain today.

My passion for cycling runs deeper than a mere scrape on the knee.

The "running" playlist

2011-05-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

Throughout the course of my blogging, I've probably received about five emails from readers asking me about what songs I'd recommend for a 'running' playlist.

I always thought the question was a little odd. After all, everyone has different tastes in music. It also depends on what type of music you enjoy running to. Some people like a slow, steady beat, some like fast-paced, some just like listening to their favorite band.

I personally don't go with a playlist while running. For one thing, I like the randomness of putting my mp3 on shuffle. For another, I still haven't figured out how to upload playlists onto the darn thing (I'm technology illiterate, please help me).

However, after the topic was brought up to me recently by a coworker whose wife is getting into running, I started wondering what songs I would put on a hypothetical 'running' playlist.

Here is the list I came up with, but before I go into it, please keep the following in mind:

I don't claim to be a music savant by any means. I only have about 1,100 songs in my music library and I'm sure there are an endless number of bands that would contribute nicely to this list. Please do not send me angry emails if I forgot a "crucial" band.
That being said, I have a pretty diverse music tastes. I grew up on classic rock and country, rebelled with a Green Day/punk phase in middle school and watched an inordinate amount of BET when my parents weren't home. I also listen to The Current regularly and have recently developed a taste for bluegrass music.
The lone exception to my interests is the boy band/pop brand of music. I have a fair amount of Michael Jackson, but there are no Backstreet Boys/N Sync/Britney Spears songs to be found on my mp3 player.
I tried to keep my list to 30 songs and limited my choices to songs that are actually on my mp3 player. I guess I'm hoping to actually make this as a playlist if I ever get around to it.
There are several bands that I enjoy listening to that got left on this list. Apologies to the Beatles, Nirvana and David Bowie. It's not you, it's me.
Fair warning: The language on some of these songs is a little vulgar. I tried not to limit my choices to songs that would be considered "family friendly." So if you have sensitive ears, please do not listen to "100 Miles and Runnin'."

Anyway, here's the list. Feel free to email me with any other suggestions:

Stone Temple Pilots -- Vasoline

Beastie Boys -- Jimmy James

Human Beinz -- Nobody But Me

Norman Greenbaum -- Spirit in the Sky

Public Enemy -- Lost at Birth

Green Day -- Peacemaker

Pert Near Sandstone -- I am the Walrus (available on the Minnesota Beatles Project Vol. 2 CD)

White Stripes -- Jack the Ripper

NWA -- 100 Miles and Runnin'

Rolling Stones -- Gimme Shelter

Fatboy Slim -- Gangster Trippin'

Dexy Midnight Runners -- Come on Eileen

White Stripes -- Fell in Love with a Girl

Red Hot Chili Peppers -- Snow (Hey Oh)

Girl Talk -- Triple Double

Chuck Berry -- You Never Can Tell

MC Hammer -- U Can't Touch This

Beastie Boys & Cypress Hill -- So Whatcha Want

Panic! At The Disco -- Nine in the Afternoon

Rage Against the Machine -- Guerrilla Radio

Chuck Berry -- Roll Over Beethoven

Outkast -- Hey Ya!

LL Cool J -- Mama Said Knock You Out

Green Day -- The Grouch

Offspring -- I Wanna Be Sedated

House of Pain -- Jump Around

The 5.6.7.8's -- I'm Blue

The Lost Fingers -- Billie Jean (they do AMAZING acoustic covers of '80's music, by the way)

Red Hot Chili Peppers -- Love Rollercoaster

Arctic Monkeys - I Bet That You Look Good on the Dance Floor

Bike trip destinations: Thunder Restaurant

2011-05-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

Distance from downtown Mankato: 15 miles using the Red Jacket Trail. You might be able to shave a few miles if you rode on Highway 66 the whole way, but I wouldn't recommend it (it's a very meandering road with a lot of twists and turns to make it unsafe for cyclists).

Route I took: Like several of my previous rides, the route utilizes the Red Jacket Trail out to Rapidan, where you hang a left at the stop sign in town, follow the road about a mile, take a right onto Highway 66 and follow that into Good Thunder. Once in Good Thunder, take a right on Main Street. The restaurant will be on your left. If you're following my routes from last year, this would be the same way you'd take to the Amboy Cottage Cafe and Green Giant Statue Park, though both of those locations are further away.

General ease/challenge of ride: As I've stated before, rides don't get much easier than the Red Jacket Trail. The trail is well shaded and shielded from most wind, plus the incline out of the river valley (miles 4-6 on the trail) is very gradual and barely even requires you to down shift. However, with the trestle bridge out of commission, riders have to take the Highway 66 detour across the Le Sueur River, which requires going down a steep off ramp followed by biking up an even steeper incline to get back to the trail. After Rapidan, riders are more at the mercy of wind and the draft of vehicles on Highway 66 (I had a 20 mph head wind when I did this trip, not one of my more pleasant rides). On the upside, there aren't any real hills to worry about. Fair warning though: The hill out of Good Thunder on your return trip can be a doozie if you ate too much.

Safety of the ride: Since this is a route I've used on previous posts, I won't bore my readers by being overly-specific on safety. In short, the Red Jacket Trail is extremely safe for cyclists; Highway 66, not so much.

Appeal of the destination: One of the things I've always enjoyed about small-town restaurants is the unique setting they all have. Places like Applebees and Olive Garden are dime-a-dozen to the point where it seems like their menu choices and wall decor came off an assembly line or something. Places like that are meant to shuffle customers in and out as quickly as possible. Nobody stops to look at posters and pictures hanging on the wall at TGIFridays, unless they're either incredibly bored or in a drug-altered state of mind.

That's not the case at the Thunder Restaurant. It's actually encouraged to take some time to look around, as the pictures hanging on the walls all have meaning behind them. Matter of fact, the photos actually serve as a pseudo-history lesson on the town of Good Thunder. There's pictures of everything from old farm equipment to an early 1900s photo of the town's Main Street, giving the restaurant a very local feel.

(random side note: My grandfather actually grew up in Good Thunder, so I was half-expecting to find a youthful photo of him among the wall decor. No luck)

Beyond wall decorations, the general atmosphere of the restaurant has a small-town feel to it. Aside from myself, the waitress on duty knew the first names of EVERY customer that came in, no small task since the place was filling up fast with dinner patrons by the time I left (I got there around 5:20, beating the rush by a few minutes).

It also wasn't a place operating with a sense of urgency. Lazy country music played in the background, customers chatted it up with each other and the waitress took the time to make actual conversation with people (unlike the usual "I'm trying to act friendly so I can get a good tip" lip service you get at most places). For regular customers, the restaurant isn't just a place to eat. It's also a social meeting ground where they can catch up on each other's daily happenings.

Being a first-timer at the restaurant, I felt a little out of place with the whole social vibe of it. But I guess that makes sense. Nobody knew me at the restaurant, I was by myself, I was wearing biking clothes and I spent much of the time taking notes on my laptop. Considering the fact that Good Thunder is a bit off the beaten trail for cycling routes, I'm guessing they don't see cyclists there on a regular basis.

Food-wise, the restaurant has a surprising amount of variety on their menu. They have a full set of appetizers (mini tacos, mozzarella sticks, cheese curds, etc.) and dinner options that included salads, wraps, steaks, sandwiches, burgers (locals recommended Best Damn Burger) and pizza.

Since it was Mexican Night at the restaurant, I decided to go with the daily theme and ordered the nacho supreme platter. The waitress advised against ordering anything more than the nachos, explaining that it was a sizable dinner on its own. However, since I was famished from the bike ride, I decided to throw in a side of Mexican tater tots (basically regular tater tots with Mexican seasoning). Big mistake.

As the photo at right would indicate, the waitress wasn't lying about the nacho platter's proportions. The photo doesn't even do it justice, it was HUGE. Combine that with the tater tots and a couple glasses of Mountain Dew, and I needed every bit of the 15-mile bike ride (and 5-mile run afterward) to burn off the calories. On the upside, the food was very good and the price was crazy cheap ($12 collectively for the whole meal).

Another appeal in the Thunder Restaurant is that it's only a block away from the town's stunning grain elevator mural paintings. According to an MPR article, the paintings were done by Tacumba Aiken in 1987 and are meant to depict the history of the town and region. The dominant figure in the 40-foot portrait is the town's namesake, the Dakota Indian Good Thunder (on the far right in the photo).

I wouldn't look too hard trying to figure out a storyline or theme to the various images; there isn't any as far as I can tell. Just sit back and enjoy the mural for what it is: An artistic slice of small town Minnesota

New Mankato trail map for all you hiking and and biking junkies

2011-05-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

Anybody walking through the hallway near the Life Center at the YMCA might do well to check out the pamphlet bin on the wall. There's more to it these days than the usual road race entry forms and health group musings.

An updated map of all the biking and hiking trails in the Mankato area has been released, courtesy of the Greater Mankato Convention & Visitors Bureau.

On it you'll find some of the newer bike trails in the city, including the Minneopa Trail and the off-street bike paths on Rockford and Thompson Ravine roads, as well as a few on-street bike routes that have been developed in the last few years. This comes in addition to all the usual suspects of Mankato trails (Red Jacket, South Route, Sakatah, Rasmussen Woods) being listed.

Also included is a map of four suggested bike loops in the area, ranging from a Sakatah Singing Hills loop out to the Madison to a Red Jacket loop down to Garden City. Each loop includes a description of the route and has points of interest listed for cyclists to stop at along the way.

For me, the suggested loop part of the map is the real treat. Anybody with a bike and an hour to kill can go do a down-and-back ride on the Red Jacket Trail. But listing a Red Jacket route that goes all the way to Lake Crystal gives cyclists day-trip ideas complete with places to eat (Rapidan Dam Store) and sights to see (Rapidan Dam, Minneopa and Minnemishinoma Falls) along the way.

Not only is it great exercise, but it's a great way to explore the community as well. Heck, I might have to use a few of my days off this summer to bike out the routes. They all seem pretty feasible and I'm sure my readers wouldn't mind hearing about them.

Aside from the YMCA, maps are also available at all in-city hotels, the city's intergovernmental center, Flying Penguin Outdoor Sports, and outside the office of the Greater Mankato Convention and Visitors Bureau at the Civic Center.

The map can also be viewed online here.

No trail race for me this weekend (apologies to my readers)

2011-05-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

I've always prided myself on being a person who follows through on his committments, particularly when those committments involve time and money I've already invested.

So as you can probably guess, when I register for a road race, that means I'm going to run it. It might be a painful experience (Grandma's Marathon last year and a 5K I once ran on an excruciatingly sore hip come to mind), but I don't back out of races. I figure I've already paid the registration fee for it, so I might as well run the darn thing.

I had every intention of continuing this trend at the 7 @ 7 Trail Run this weekend. I signed up for it over a month ago, put in my fair share of training miles and was really looking forward to racing it it (and wearing the event t-shirt, kudos to whoever designed it, it looks awesome!).

However, due to my ignorance, I didn't realize that the trail run happens to be the same weekend as opener for fishing. And as luck would have it, I actually have the entire weekend off from work (definitely not a regular occurrence).

Now, I'll never admit to being an avid bait fisherman. My tackle box is nearly bare and my fishing rod rarely comes out of the closet in the summertime. Darkhouse spear fishing in the wintertime is my angling passion, and summers for me are mostly spent biking, running and attempting to play tennis.

But fishing opener is the exception to those interests. My dad and my brothers normally head up north for the weekend, and due to my work schedule, I haven't been able to join them for several years. On top of that, my dad is recovering from a recent surgery on his foot and has been looking for every excuse possible to get out of the house. Nobody likes being cooped up, especially someone as outdoors-oriented as my dad is (now you all know where I get it from).

I haven't seen him since his surgery, so I figure a weekend fishing adventure is a good way to catch up and help boost his spirits. It will also be a much-needed relaxing couple of days for myself.

So consequently, I will not be running in the 7 @ 7 race this weekend. The cabin we fish at is too far north and nobody likes to be the person that has to come home early from a weekend getaway. This means that my entry fee is now going to waste, but like the "fish in the sea" analogy for the opposite sex, there are plenty of other road races to run.

I wish nothing but the best of luck to all the runners this weekend, and I hope the weather and the trails cooperate in what looks to be a wonderful inaugural event for Final Stretch and the Greater Mankato Multisport Club.

Sakatah and Cannon Valley trails to be linked

2011-05-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

Recreational cyclists in Mankato rejoice: There will soon be a trail long enough for even the most hardcore of riders. Heck, it almost stretches into another state!

While searching for Minnesota bike trails the other day, I came across a website for the soon-to-be-built Mill Towns Trail. When completed, Mill Towns will stretch nearly 30 miles from Faribault to Cannon Falls and will link the Sakatah Singing Hills and the Cannon Valley trails.

According to the trail's website, construction has already begun in Northfield, and construction in Faribault is due to begin this summer. However, there is no timetable for the trail's completion as a whole, as construction plans are likely to hampered by state-wide budget restraints.

Regardless of timetable, the Mill Towns Trail is definitely something for southern Minnesota cyclists to get excited about. Not only is it showcasing a wonderful cycling town in Northfield, but a completed Mill Towns Trail means that cyclists would be able to bike all the way from Mankato to Red Wing on bike paths. And if you include Mankato's Minnesota River and Red Jacket trails, that would combine to be roughly 100 miles of non-stop paved trails.

Needless to say, you might want to pack a lunch if you plan to bike the whole thing at once.

National bicycle league shows Mankato some love

2011-05-06T22:48:00.000-07:00

It looks like the Mankato area is finally getting the recognition it deserves for it's comprehensive system of bike trails.

According to an article in today's (Saturday) Valley section, Mankato and North Mankato earned honorable mention distinction as a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. The distinction is based on an evaluation of a community's engineering, education, encouragement and enforcement efforts toward biking. Apple Valley and Rosemont were the other Minnesota communities to earn honorable mention designation.

Really, this should come as no surprise to any of the regular cyclists in Mankato. The city is loaded with bike trails and city legislatures have made a concentrated effort to make cycling a viable form of in-town transportation.

Probably the biggest reason I ever got into health & fitness writing was my discovery of all the great bike trails Mankato had to offer when I moved here three years ago.

I've always enjoyed riding my bike, but it used to be more a product of necessity than anything else. Either I needed it to train for triathlons, or I needed it to get to work when I didn't have a car in college. St. Cloud doesn't have much for recreational trails, so recreational biking was never really a big part of my life.

But that all changed after my first ride on the Red Jacket Trail. Biking is now an everyday passion of mine, and as readers of my blog can attest, I can't shut up about it.

Three things have always stuck out to me about Mankato's biking culture:

Its great mix of recreational and commuter trails. The Red Jacket/Minneopa/Sakatah trails offer a lot of great scenery for recreational riders, but Mankato's trails go beyond mere leisure. You can pretty much get anywhere in town on bike trails, whether it's River Hills Mall, MSU campus or the downtown bars and restaurants.
The connectivity of its trails. Almost all the trails in Mankato link up in some way or another, making it possible to commute from opposite ends of town without having to bike through much traffic. If you're a fan of longer rides, it also gives you the chance to get creative with loops (here is a 25-mile loop I did a couple weeks ago).
The constant efforts by city legislatures to improve and expand on existing trails. Since I moved here, the Minneopa Trail has been completed and Riverfront Park has been revived as a potential transportation hub. But city administrators aren't stopping there. Plans are in place for trail construction on Madison Avenue and North Mankato is looking to expand it's trail system as well.

At present, Minneapolis and Rochester are the only cities in Minnesota that have been fully recognized as bike-friendly. Minneapolis has a silver rating and Rochester a bronze. Call me a homer, but I think our little city in the river valley is well on its way to joining them.

Bravo, Mankato.

Return of the summer bike trip series

2011-05-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

After an April we'd all like to forget weather-wise, I figure my readership could use a little pick-me-up that involves warmer temperatures on the horizon.

Well, here it goes: Back by popular demand is the summer bike trip series.

Over the next few months, I'll be doing occasional entries about destinations in the Mankato area that can be reached on two wheels and a set of pedals (and hopefully with minimal flat tires). Unlike typical training rides, these trips won't be about the speed that one can complete them in. Rather, they will about the appeal of their destinations and the adventure it takes to get there.

It seems like this got a lot of good responses from people last summer. Perhaps others share my cycling-crazed belief that life is simply more exciting on a bicycle.

Similar to last year, I will post a route map of each trip and write about the ease/challenge of the ride, the safety of the ride and the appeal of the destination. Also similar to last year, I will post any trips submitted to me by other riders. Just e-mail your suggestions, photos and maps to avoigt@mankatofreepress.com.

Here are a few guidelines if you're going to suggest a trip:

The destination should be a place that has some appeal to it. Maybe it's a restaurant with good food. Or a state park with some cool hiking trails and viewpoints. Or perhaps it's a historical landmark with an intriguing story behind it. Whatever the case, it should be a place you want to stop and hang out at for awhile.
Extending the previous guideline further, it should be a place that can be enjoyed by people beyond yourself. Your grandparents' house may be an enjoyable visit for you, but it means little to me (unless of course they're making cookies, then it's somewhat enjoyable).
It has to be a destination that a person can bike to and make it back to Mankato in a day. The bike trips are meant to be more of a "fun stuff to do on your day off"-type activity. I enjoy visiting the North Shore area of Minnesota as much as the anyone, but unless you're Lance Armstrong, you're not biking there and back in a day.
On the flip side, it also has to be a destination with some degree of difficulty to reach. Reasonable guideline: If it takes you less than 15 minutes to walk there, it's not a challenge.
The route should be relatively safe for cyclists. Roads are pretty much unavoidable if you're going to bike to another town. However, there's a big differencTe between biking on a low-traffic country road with wide shoulders than bracing for the constant flow of cars on Highway 169.

Here's a recap of the bike trips I did last summer:

Rapidam Dam Park
Minneopa State Park (recent addition: The Minneopa Trail was not complete when this post was written. That would now be the easiest and safest route to the park)
New Ulm (I used the entire city as one destination. In hindsight, one location would have been a better idea. If someone wants to suggest an individual destination in New Ulm, I would be OK with it)
Trail Blazer Bar & Grill (recent addition: The ripped-up part of the Sakatah Trail that I mentioned in this point is now paved)
Amboy Cottage Cafe
Green Giant Statue Park
Franke's (Kolacky) Bakery
Seattle Space Needle (just kidding)

And at the finish line...cardio beats car!

2011-04-30T23:35:00.000-07:00

With April drawing to a close, I am happy to report that my month-long quest to outrun/out-bike my car has been a success! And I did it without having to become anti-social! (well, at least not more than usual)

My driving mileage for the month ended at 576, with the vast majority of those miles coming from two road trips to places (St. Cloud and Wabasha) that go beyond practical distances for biking. For in-town commuting, I used my car for the following this month: 2 plasma donations, 1 bike repair at Scheels, and once as a sober cab for a friend that needed a ride home from the downtown bars (he still owes me one, by the way). That's it.

On the flip side, my biking/running totals ended up at 625 miles collectively (108 by foot, 517 by pedal). Averages for that equate to be about 3.6 miles of running and 17.25 miles of biking per day. My longest run of the month was 8 miles, and my longest non-stop bike ride was 33 miles.

Pretty modest totals compared to what some of the hardcore duathlon junkies are doing, but still a respectable amount of exercise on a daily basis. And since I keep a pretty busy schedule, I won't complain.

Even for a person that's relatively in shape like myself, the effects of regular exercise like that are noticeable. By the end of the month, my legs pretty much stopped feeling sore after long bike rides and felt like they were recovering faster from weightlifting. Not to compete with my co-worker's "fight to be fit," but I also lost seven pounds for the month.

Beyond that, I noticed a definite improvement in cardiovascular endurance.

I haven't done much for serious training runs since I ran the Mankato 1/2 Marathon last fall. I still run regularly (pretty obvious since I topped 100 miles last month), but the pace is usually leisurely and the distances have been shorter (3-5 mile runs are pretty normal these days). Conventional wisdom says that my running times should be slower now than they were when I was cranking out 40-mile training weeks last spring.

But thanks to all the biking this month, my spontaneous decision to push myself on the YMCA treadmill yesterday yielded some surprising results: 8 miles in 53:41 (about a 6:43 average per mile) and I felt like I could've kept going at that pace for a few more miles. Compared with my race times from last year, it's almost like I never stopped marathon training.

The other big surprise came in how many less miles I drove with my car this month than I normally would. I can usually count on driving about 900-1,100 miles each month, depending on the frequency of out-of-town trips. But thanks to in-town commuting on my bike, I was able to keep the drive total low and add to my biking miles at the same time.

The two in-town destinations I biked to most often were the YMCA and my morning job near River Hills Mall. The distances from my apartment to those two locations are both pretty mild (roughly 1 mile to the Y, 4 miles to the morning job), but they add up over the course of a month.

I work at my morning job four days a week, which adds up to 32 miles of commuting per week and 128 miles every four weeks. Although I don't have a set schedule of attendance at the Y, six visits a week is a pretty fair estimate, which translates to 12 miles a week and 48 miles in four weeks.

Add it up, and that's 176 miles I didn't drive with my car in April. And since those are in-town locations, a safe assumption would be that I saved on having to buy around 8 gallons worth of gas for those trips (my Kia gets about 30 miles to the gallon for highway mileage). Given the direction gas prices are headed, that's hardly chump change.

Despite the challenge being over, I plan on continuing to use my bike for most in-town commuting. It's been a great boost to my exercise schedule, it's good for the environment and, quite frankly, I enjoy biking a heck of a lot more than I enjoy driving my car.

Moments that make an uncle proud

2011-04-27T23:45:00.000-07:00

As much as I enjoy riding my bike, it usually feels pretty good to get done after a long day of cycling.

My ride this past Monday was no exception. With the day off from work, favorable weather conditions and my stomach in full-scale recovery mode from the onslaught of Easter (in retrospect, cherry cheesecake AND pumpkin pie probably wasn't the best choice for dessert), I decided to visit the old stomping grounds.

Starting from my parent's house in Sartell, I did a 35-mile bike loop of the St. Cloud area, making four stops along the way: the YMCA for weightlifting, a local sandwich shop for lunch, club rowing practice for nostalgia and the downtown bars for drinks in the non-water variety (here is the route I took, though the map probably means little to my Mankato-centric readership).

The day of biking was most certainly enjoyable. The weather was beautiful, my bike cooperated (no flat tires or any other malfunctions that have befallen my $85 Kuwahara) and it was cool getting to visit old friends. It also helped reaffirm my beliefs that Mankato is a far superior community for biking (more bike paths and motorists that actually watch for cyclists).

However, the best part of the ride came at the very end of it when I got back to my parent's house. This wasn't due to exhaustion from biking, though I was pretty psyched to have my mom's homemade rigatoni for dinner.

No, the real enjoyment came from what I saw as I approached my parent's driveway: My 4-year-old niece Alaina was riding up and down the driveway on her single-gear training wheel bike complete with handlebar basket, princess colors, tassels and glitter. The tires on her bike were flat, but she was still grinning ear-to-ear at the site of her uncle getting home, anxious to show off her styling ride to a fellow biking enthusiast.

She pointed out the features of her bike with the excitement of a seasoned cyclist who just bought a $10,000 ride. After commenting on my bike's lack of a handlebar basket, she led the way on a down-and-back trip up the driveway while I told her stories of her uncle's clumsy beginnings in cycling and reassured her that I would never be able to beat her in a race.

Really, it was a moment to cherish. I'm still kicking myself for not having my camera handy. Just about every uncle worth his weight in piggy-back rides will claim their 4-year-old niece to be the most adorable thing on the face of the earth. But at that point in time, I felt I could have made a valid argument.

It might have been the sheer elation of getting to hang out with my niece (I don't make it up to St. Cloud to visit as often as I'd like), or the joy of seeing her take after her uncle hobby-wise. But I could not have been prouder.

Winning the race against my car

2011-04-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

With nine days to go (including this one) in April, I am happy to report that my month-long goal to bike/run more miles than I drive with car is shaping up (no pun intended) to be a victory for the cardio/conservation side.

I'm currently sitting at 455 miles combine between running and biking against 307 miles of driving. Save for a day trip to Wabasha, I've used my car exactly three times this month for a total of less than 40 miles. I drove once to get my bike fixed, once to donate plasma, and once to sober cab a friend home from the bar.

In-town commuting on a bike really hasn't been as tough as I thought it would be. Due to traffic lights and other factors, I've actually found that I get to places in town about as fast on my bike as I do in my car. This wouldn't be the case if I were trying to commute to New Ulm or the Twin Cities, but for a 1-mile trip to the YMCA or a 4-mile trip to River Hills Mall, it's a wash time-wise. (provided I don't get a flat tire, of course)

Really, the biggest adjustment has been running errands that require hauling something. The best example of this would be my grocery shopping experience -- which I blogged about last week -- but imagine one would have similar issues with something like doing laundry or delivering food. There's a lot more planning, balance and strategy required to haul something on a bike than there would be to simply throw it in your car.

As far as bike rides go, I've mostly been sticking with Mankato-area trails and haven't really ventured into outlying communities. The ride I did yesterday was probably my favorite of the bunch: a 25-mile loop of Mankato that used every bike trail in town.

I started downtown, biked toward Highway 14 on Madison Avenue (normally I would've been on the Minnesota River Trail, but it's still flooded), headed up to Highway 22 on the Sakatah Trail, biked over to River Hills Mall on the bike path along Highway 22, and took Adams/Victory/Balcerzak to MSU. Once at MSU, I took Monks out to Highway 90, hopped on South Route Trail, headed to Minneopa Falls, then took the Minneopa Trail back to Mankato.

I've probably biked that route in sections before, but I've never attempted it all in one ride. Not only does it avoid most of the traffic in town, but it's also a great mix of hills and scenery and goes past a lot of the major landmarks in Mankato. I'd highly recommend the ride to anyone who has the time for 25 miles.

As far as running goes, I've mostly just been sticking to the treadmill this month. A combination of crummy weather and a nagging hip pain have put a damper on my outdoor running habits. However, I've still been able to get miles in, either on the aforementioned treadmill or an elliptical if my hip's really bugging me. Most of the runs have been in the 3-5 mile variety, with the occasional 7-8 miler to really stretch things out.

My basic goal for the running portion of this challenge is two-fold: to keep myself in decent running shape for the 7-mile trail run at Seven Mile Creek next month, and to keep the ratio of biking to running relatively close to what they'd be in a duathlon/triathlon. For the races I've encountered, that generally means a ratio of about 4:1 or 5:1 for biking vs. running. Since my totals currently sit at 375 miles biking and 80 miles running, I'm well within that range.

Why is the ratio part of the goal? Well, since my biking totals have drastically increased, I figure I'll probably be in decent shape for a duathlon or two this summer. There's a race in my home town of Sartell at the end of May that I'm eying up, and I may try another one later in the summer if I can talk some friends into doing it with me.

Mankato trail updates, bike column and other musings

2011-04-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

Just a few quick notes:

Here is a link to a column I wrote in today's paper about my experience of grocery shopping on a bike. Anybody who read my blog post on the topic should enjoy it. Unlike the blog entry, it's less about the groceries I was able to get (i.e. no grocery lists or pictures of groceries spread out on my dinner table) and more about the strategy and mindset I used for it.
Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai broke the world record today for fastest marathon time, completing the Boston Marathon in 2 hours, 3 minutes and 2 seconds. His time bested Haile Gebrselassie's previous record -- set in 2008 in Berlin -- by almost a full minute. Because the race had a strong tailwind, and because the course is predominantly downhill, Mutai's time won't be recognized as the record by track's international governing body. Tailwind or no tailwind, it's pretty incredible to average a 4:42 mile for an entire marathon. I only know a handful of people who can run a SINGLE MILE at that speed.
An extensive amount of biking in the area over the past few days has revealed the following trail updates:

The Minnesota River Trail is still mostly closed due to high river levels. However, after looking at the trail from the viewing pier at Riverfront Park, it likely won't be closed for long. The river level is gradually dropping and only small sections of the trail remain under water.
The new support pier at the Red Jacket trestle bridge is still under construction, so trail users still have to use the detour on the Highway 66 bridge across the Le Sueur River if they want to continue on to Rapidan. According to the Blue Earth County Communicator newsletter, funds have been obtained for the project through FEMA Emergency Disaster Assistance and the bridge should be completed by fall 2011.
A section of the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail just east of Mankato that had previously been under construction has been completed, making the area considerably safer for trail users. Previously, the trail required users to cross the railroad tracks in order to continue on toward Madison Lake. However, the trail now links up with a newly-constructed overpass bridge that crosses that tracks without interrupting the trail. Even better: there are no longer any unpaved sections of the trail for users to endure. I wrote last fall that the Sakatah needed a lot of work to make it a premier regional trail. Well, this was a big step in the right direction.

Building character on a bike

2011-04-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember, my favorite comic strip has been Calvin & Hobbes.

There are a multitude of reasons for this (like the fact that it's awesome), but as I've grown older, I've come to appreciate it for the adult themes spliced into Calvin's childhood adventures. One of those themes is the concept of "building character."

Every time Calvin despised performing a task assigned to him by his parents, his dad would simply say "It builds character" and leave Calvin to ponder the meaning of the phrase.

This one actually hits close to home for me. Growing up, my family was big on camping, backpacking, hiking and other outdoor-oriented activities. I however was not enthusiastic to the concept. I liked watching TV, playing video games and watching more TV.

As you can probably imagine, anything that drifted beyond those activities was not met with enthusiasm on my part.

I complained a lot when we went on family camping trips, whether it was about mosquito bites, rainy weather or having to sleep on rocky ground. My brothers usually responded to complaints with the classic "Stop being a wuss!" line. For my dad, it was the "It builds character" line.

Like Calvin, I wondered what the saying meant. I always figured it was a clever way to either ignore my problems or get me to do something.

But looking back on it, my interpretation of the phrase has evolved into something a little less selfish. I think it's meant to teach a person how to better deal with adversity. Or in "manly" talk, it teaches a person to be more "tough."

Adversity can play a big role in teaching a person to appreciate the things they have in life. I mean, how can you take pride in your accomplishments if you never struggled to achieve anything.

However you want to interpret the phrase, I can definitely say that biking in extreme windy/rainy conditions is a form of building character.

Like most people, I normally would've resorted to my car during the unfavorable weather we had last week (seriously, is spring ever going to be here to stay?). However, since I'm trying to outpace my car for the month via biking/running, I still resorted to my pedaled companion for commuting around town.

It wasn't anything I'd call pleasant. I had a 20 mph head wind blowing into my face for my entire ride out to Good Thunder the other day, plus I had to deal with my fair share of horizontal rain while biking up the River Hills Mall area later in the week. I won't lie: I probably directed an obscenity or two toward Mother Nature when the biking got tough.

But I made it to where I needed to go. And because I had to endure the elements to get there, I had a much deeper appreciation for the destination than I would have had I simply driven there in a car.

I guess that's what this month has taught me more than anything thus far: Appreciating the destination. I've done more than my fair share of recreational riding in the past, but when you're biking as a form of commuting, it takes on a greater significance. It becomes an integral part of your daily routine, not an optional part.

And when you have to bike up that giant hill or pedal through that wind or rain, you can bet the destination will look a lot friendlier, even if you're biking to work or something else you'd normally dread going to.

I suppose that counts as "building character."

Grocery shopping on a bike: An exercise in practicality

2011-04-14T12:08:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week, my fitness/commuter goal for April was put to the test by general necessity.

My cupboards were bare, my fridge nearly empty and the only things left to eat around my apartment were ranch dressing, pancake syrup and leftover Buffalo Wild Wings food from Lord knows when.

It was time to go grocery shopping. However, since my biking/running totals are still catching up to my driving mileage for April, I had to figure out a way to pad my mileage. Beyond that, gas prices have been going up like crazy lately and unfortunately, my modest salary is not matching that rate of inflation.

So with that in mind, I put my car keys away, grabbed a backpack and did my grocery shopping on a bike. My shopping included stops at Cub Foods, Kwik Trip and Aldi.

Surprisingly, it wasn't as difficult as one would think. I essentially bought all the groceries I would have gotten with a car, only I took two trips. The method I used for packing the groceries included my backpack and dangling a pair of grocery bags from my handlebars (first photo on the right).

The most difficult aspects of it were figuring out how to make everything fit and keeping myself balanced for the bike ride home. The only real trial and error came from determining that the weight of items in the grocery bags on the handlebars had to be relatively light, otherwise steering would get awkward (I initially tried this with a gallon of milk in one bag, bad idea).

I will touch on the experience more in a column I wrote for Monday's paper, but for the time being, here is a list of groceries I was able to carry home on each trip, with photos accompanying each list. As you can probably guess, the second trip was a lot tougher to package and carry than the first.

First trip (Cub Foods and Kwik Trip)

2 bags of hashbrowns
1 pound of grapes
2 pounds of bananas
4 boxes of cereal
1 gallon of milk
1/2 gallon of orange juice
2 bags of pizza crust mix
1 dozen eggs

Second trip (Aldi)

1 bag of apples
2 jars of peanut butter
1 jar of jelly
4 cups of yogurt
1 package of breakfast sausage patties
1 box of pancake mix
3 boxes of rice
1 box of banana bread mix
1 package of chocolate chips
1 container of bread crumbs
1 package of tortilla shells
2 jars of spaghetti sauce
2 pounds of shredded cheese
1 package of dried fruit
1 package of baby carrots
1 box of mashed potato mix
1 6-pack of bagels
1 package of pepperoni
1 box of cereal

(Note: this isn't intended to depict me as a hulking figure of grocery getting ability. Rather, it is meant to illustrate how much a person can actually carry on a bike if they organize it correctly. Also, I realize my eating habits probably seem a little odd, but I happen to like cereal ... a lot.)

A different breed of crazy: My first exposure to 100-mile races

2011-04-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

Some scattered thoughts on the Zumbro 100, a 100-mile trail run near Wabasha that a friend of mine raced in this past weekend. I drove to the race to assist him as a pace runner which, if you're keeping track of my mileage for the drive vs. run/bike challenge I've got going on, is the reason why my driving miles all the sudden jumped from 9 to 278 (looks like I've got some catching up to do):

This was hardly Boston Marathon for race participation. Only 24 runners raced in the Zumbro, several of whom dropped out before finishing. Most road races are either short enough in distance or big enough in participation numbers where you almost always have someone running near you. That's definitely not the case here, where several hours can separate one runner from the other at the finish line. My friend had pace runners (myself included) for about 1/3 of the total race, and he ran with little or no company. Think about how lonely it'd get to be running on a trail in the dark (the race lasted through the night on Friday/Saturday) by yourself for hours at a time.
Taking place entirely at the Zumbro Bottoms state park the race venue was hardly one to encourage speedy times. The trails along the Zumbro River were in pretty rough shape from spring flooding (LOTS of sand) and the hills were pretty brutal. Aside from that, tree roots, rocks, fallen trees and just about everything else you could think of obstructed the trail at every turn. How bad was it? One participant came into a checkpoint with a sizable gash on her knee from taking a tumble on the trail ... and no one was even remotely surprised that it happened.
To be clear, the term "running" is used pretty liberally in a race like this. During my brief stint of pace-running with my friend, we spent a lot more time walking at a brisk pace than we did running. The little running that we did do was more or less light jogging and was reserved for downhill stretches and straightaways with few obstructions in the trail. In all fairness, my friend was already more than 80 miles into the race when I started running with him and probably wanted to strangle me when I suggested we try running 7-minute miles.
The winner of the race finished in about 22 hours 30 minutes (actual results haven't been posted yet, but that's what I heard through the grapevine), which broke the course record by more than hour. With some quick math, this equates out to averaging a little less than 4.5 miles per hour, or a little more than 13 minutes per mile. By comparison, marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie completed the Berlin Marathon in 2:03:59 in 2008, averaging a 4:44 mile for the whole thing. See what I mean about running being a liberal term?
When I was interviewed John Storkamp for the Arrowhead 135 article I wrote in January, I remember him saying that he preferred ultramarathons to regular road marathons because there were so many more variables to account for. After watching the Zumbro 100 up close, I finally understand what he meant by that. Aside from the aforementioned difficult terrain, there's also calorie intake throughout the race to consider (most estimations for the total calories burned in a race like this are over 12,000, which is about what my co-worker is consuming in 10 days with her current diet), night-time running to account for, clothes to change in and out of (my friend went through 4 separate outfits during the race) and a whole different level of aches and pains to deal with. From the perspective of a pace runner, there's also a much bigger variable of time to consider. In a marathon, a runner might be off a few minutes one way or the other for an estimated pace, whereas in a 100-mile race, they might be off by several hours. This came into play for me Saturday morning, when a combination of bad cell phone reception, my friend's estimation being off and my general lack of preparation led to me getting about an hour of sleep in the cramped backseat of a car the night before. Had I known what time I was actually going to be needed for pacing, I could have slept for eight hours in the comfort of a hotel room.
Despite wanting to quit numerous times and apparently falling asleep for a brief time at one of the aid stations, my friend finished the race, coming in at about 32 hours, 30 minutes. Not only was this his first 100-mile race, but it was also his first race of any kind longer than a half marathon. Needless to say, he got a few weird looks when other participants inquired about his racing background. Who says you need to work your way up?
I've found myself getting more and more intrigued by trail races lately, both because they offer more nature for scenery and they seem like they'd be easier on my knees/hips. Trail runs also combine two hobbies of mine -- hiking and running -- into one activity, so it seems like something I would enjoy. I've already signed up for the 7 at 7 Trail Run next month and I'm strongly considering the Nerstrand Big Woods Run this fall. I'm probably not going to sign up for anything like the Zumbro 100 anytime soon. That's a LONG time to run without sleep and I don't know if my body can take that kind of punishment.
Speaking of punishment, one runner needed ALL of his toes and the bottoms of both his feet taped up due to blistering and he walked with a stiff-legged gait reminiscent of Herman Munster when I saw him at Mile 83. Despite all that, he kept going and finished the race. I don't think I've ever seen someone in such rough shape that didn't drop out of a race. I can only imagine how long it would take to recover from something like that.

I guess my mp3 player has a good luck charm

2011-04-07T07:30:00.000-07:00

In this world of iPods and digital music, like many people, I'm probably more emotionally attached to my mp3 player than I should be.

For me, it's on the par with my cell phone for outfit accessories. I literally take my mp3 player (A Sony Walkman, pictured right) everywhere, whether it's work, the gym, road trips or bike rides. My collection of songs is relatively modest, but they are with me through thick and thin to capture my mood (currently a "U Can't Touch This" kind of occasion, don't ask) and give rhythm to my day.

So you can imagine how I felt the other day when I discovered that my mp3 player had fallen out of my pocket while biking home from the Y.

Normally, I would've been listening to music and would have known I had lost it. But since it was a high-traffic time of day (about 3:30 in the afternoon), I reasoned that it would be best to keep my ears open to the cars around me and didn't know it was missing until I got home. Making matters worse: I didn't have time to go look for it, as I had to be to work by 4.

Now, I realize that in the grand scheme of things, an mp3 player really isn't that important. It doesn't feed me when I'm starving, it doesn't quench my thirst and it doesn't keep me warm in the wintertime. Countless people make do without music during workouts and long runs, and the Amish have been doing just fine without mp3 players (or electricity, for that matter).

However, that didn't stop me from taking my dinner break to go look for it that evening. It also didn't stop me from figuring out how much I could set aside for a new mp3 player with my next paycheck. Heck, I even debated on making a "missing" sign for my lost musical companion; much like the ones that used to be seen on milk cartons.

I have already experienced exercise without music at my fingertips. It occurred last spring when my iPod broke while I was training for Grandma's Marathon. Since I had no money at the time, I concluded that it would be awhile until I could buy another one, and that I would simply have to make do on long training runs.

"Awhile" lasted for about two weeks, when I gutted out a 20-mile training run in the rain with no music and nobody else to talk to. If there's such a thing as "Workout Hell," that was pretty much it. I remember muttering out motivational phrases and trying to recall all the movies I'd seen with Robert De Niro in them just to take my mind off of how miserable I was.

When the run mercifully came to an end, I ran an ice bath, looked up Red Hot Chili Peppers on Pandora and cranked up my laptop to full volume to help recover from musical withdrawals.

Since I would rather get another root canal than go through that again, I had every intention of using my entire dinner break to solve the mystery of the missing mp3 player. But as luck would have it, I found it in the road within five blocks of the start of my search. Even better: It hadn't been run over by a car and was still in working condition!

After praising the powers that be for keeping my mp3 player safe, I slobbered it with affection (not really, that'd just be weird), promised it I'd never leave it again, put on a White Stripes playlist and went for a leisurely 8-mile ride.

With that kind of luck working in my favor, perhaps my bike can go the rest of the year without getting a flat tire!

No, probably not.

Flat tires: The ultimate cycling buzz kill

2011-04-04T13:37:00.001-07:00

No matter what kind of bike you have, if you ride enough miles, you're going to encounter a flat tire at some point.

There's never really a convenient time for it, and unless you do the majority of your biking within two blocks of your house or a bike shop, it's not going to happen at a convenient location either.

Anybody who's kept up with my blog knows that I've encountered my fair share of flats on a bike. Three during a trip to Blue Earth, a flat at the the turnaround point of a 20-mile ride (long run home), and a valve breaking in the middle of Minneapolis.

Some people might wonder why I ride so much if I encounter so many flats, and the answer simple: I'm not afraid to deal with them. It's a pain in the rear to change a flat -- especially if you've got some place to be at a certain time -- but to avoid riding because of it is idiot's logic. By that reasoning, you shouldn't drive your car either because you might have to fix a flat.

I bring this up because I encountered my first flat of 2011 on my way to the mall yesterday (more specifically Barnes & Noble). It occurred on Adams Street about a block shy of the BioLife Plasma Center, which meant I was about half a mile from the mall.

Taken at face value, this doesn't seem like a bad place to encounter a flat, what with Scheel's being in the mall and all. But being the prepared cyclist that I am, I happened to have a patch kit and air pump with me and decided to fix the flat right there and then. After a few tire lever struggles, a lot of grease and a little swearing, my bike was right for riding again.

This worked out fine for getting to mall. I locked my bike up, read for a couple hours at Barnes & Noble, and the tire was still inflated when I left the mall.

But on the way home, guess what happened? Another flat.

This time, while removing the tube, I determined that there was a small hole in the tire itself (for terminology's sake, the tube is the inner part of the tire with air in it, and the tire is the outer shell). Even if I had replaced the tube, the tire likely would've gone flat again shortly, as a hole in the outer shell makes the tube more susceptible to rocks,glass and whatever else is on the road.

Luckily, the flat occurred about five blocks from my apartment. So the walk home was relatively short. However, in order to get my bike in working condition again, I was going to have to (gasp!) drive to a bike shop to get a new tire.

Since I'm currently trying to run/bike more miles than I drive in my car for a month (blog entry here plus you can view my monthly totals on the right-hand side of the blog), I'm obviously reluctant to use my car unless it's absolutely necessary. But I really didn't have much of a choice, unless I wanted to walk it the 4+ miles to Scheel's (the only bike shop in town that's open on Sundays).

Had I not been so adamant about fixing the initial flat myself, I could've walked over the Scheel's while at the mall, gotten my bike fixed and saved the car trip -- a trip I had to make a hours later anyway.

Oh well, I guess hindsight's 20/20.

As a reference point, here is a pretty decent YouTube video on how to change a flat tire on a bike.

Starting the month off right

2011-04-02T00:19:00.000-07:00

Let the month of alternate transportation and exercise begin!

As mentioned in a previous post, I have made it my goal to bike/run more miles than I drive in my car for the month of April. I turned my car on long enough this morning to write the mileage down (118,015) and then promptly turned it off again, hoping I won't have to use it for a while.

I'm actually kind of excited about this. Not only will it give me an excuse to exercise more, but it'll save me some money AND bring focus to my daily routine. Instead of finding ways to procrastinate around my apartment, I'll keep this goal in mind and try to find ways to pad my mileage.

If April Fool's Day was any indication, it should be a good month. I kicked off the month with a bike ride out to Minneopa Falls and back (approximate route here, the new Minneopa Trail still doesn't show up on maps). After that, I checked out some of the parks in town to see how they're recovering from the floods (Land of Memories disc golf course is sort of accessible ... by kayak) and headed over to the Y for a workout.

Grand totals for the first day: 24 miles biking, 3 miles running and NO miles in my car. Once the flood levels go down and all the snow melts off the trails, it's only going to get easier to plot out long rides.

Mileage padding will definitely be needed in the early going. After writing up the initial blog post on this little goal of mine, I remembered that I volunteered to be a pace-runner for a 100-mile race a friend of mine is doing next week.

In the spirit of my goal, this wouldn't seem like a bad thing to recall. After all, pace-running at 10-minute miles is a pretty painless way to tack on some extra distance (I normally rotate between 6:30 and 7-minute miles on runs, so a 10-minute pace should be cake). Besides, I get to help a friend get through a grueling race by running alongside of him for the toughest part of it. I call that a worthy trip.

However, the race isn't exactly a local affair. It's the Zumbro 100, which takes place in Wabasha, roughly 115 miles away. Definitely not an easy distance on bike, and even less feasible considering that I have to run 10 miles once I reach my destination.

Ironman triathletes might eat those distances for breakfast (mmmm mileage!), but that's one cardio buffet I don't care to digest. I felt like crap after biking back to Mankato from Red Wing in one day last fall, and I'd rather not repeat that if I can help it. I know my physical limitations, and a Wabasha bike trip goes well beyond them.

So my mode of transportation then turns to my car, with the trip likely to require 250+ miles of driving. I normally wouldn't make anything of a road trip like this, especially since I'm helping a friend in the process.

However, with my monthly goal to consider, it means I will have to put on some serious miles to make up for it.

Memo to Mankato drivers: Get used to the sight of a Kuwahara road bike being out and about.

"My Run" documentary to be shown in Mankato

2011-03-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

Running a marathon isn't an easy task no matter who you are.

There's countless hours of grueling training to endure, leg pains to work through and a race day to drain you of all your energy. Most people (myself included) take time off from running in the days following a marathon to let our joints, muscles and mental fortitude heal.

However, Terry Hitchcock isn't like most people. In 1996, Hitchcock not only kept running after completing a marathon, he actually completed another marathon the very next day. If that wasn't enough, he kept up with this marathon-a-day routine for 75 consecutive days.

26.2 miles a day for 75 days. That's 1,965 miles of racing, slightly more than the distance between Mankato and Mexico City. And Hitchcock, who was 57 years old at the time, kept running despite freezing rain, unbearable heat and stress fractures that developed along the way (I had plenty of physical pain to cope with after Grandma's last summer, so I can only imagine what he went through).

You're probably wondering what would possess a person to do this to themselves. Well, in Hitchcock's case, the feat is meant to be an inspiration to single parents out there struggling to support their families. Hitchcock himself lost his wife to breast cancer in 1984 and then lost his job shortly thereafter. With three young children to raise on his own, Hitchcock needed faith, hard work and mental strength to maintain a healthy environment for his kids.

Hitchcock's story is told in the award-winning documentary "My Run," which will be showing at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Movies 8 Theater in the River Hills Mall. Narrated by Billy Bob Thorton, "My Run" takes viewers through Hitchcock's personal struggles after his wife's death and the physical hell he put his body through during the "Mega-Marathon."

Cost of the event is $12.50. Tickets can either be purchased here or at the theater. Here is link to Hitchcock's website for more background on his incredible achievement.

A different kind of fitness goal

2011-03-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

When it comes to setting goals, we all tend to aim for something tangible.

If you're saving money for a vacation or a new toy, you typically either have an amount in mind or a date in mind. If you're trying to lose weight like my co-worker currently is (you're doing great Amanda, keep it up!), you would typically shoot for a specific number of pounds you want to shed by a specific date. And so on and so forth.

We do this because it gives us a concrete answer as to whether we achieved our goal or not. If your goal is to simply get in better shape or read more books, the majority of the time it doesn't work out that way. Without a concrete objective constantly reminding you of what you're striving for, the human tendency is to push it aside when other items become more pressing.

In that regard, my new fitness goal is a little unique because, while it has a time frame, it doesn't have a concrete number that I'm shooting for. I'm not trying to lose X amount of pounds, run X amount of miles, bench press X amount of weight or complete a race in X amount of time. Instead, the goal is a race against myself and my reliance on modern convenience.

Confused? Let me explain.

My goal is to bike/run more miles than I drive in my car for the month of April. I will write down the mileage of my car at midnight on the 1st of April and keep track of my biking/running miles as if I was training for a race. At the end of the month, I'll compare the numbers to see whether I succeeded, failed or failed miserably.

On the surface, this seems pretty easy for me. I'm an exercise fanatic and I happen to have the good fortune of living within walking distance of my job, my bank, a grocery store, the post office and Erbs & Gerbs. I like to think that everything I need in life is just a stone throw away, and for the most part, that's probably true.

However, it's not that simple. Several regular destinations for me (the mall, BioLife's plasma donation center, ect.) are located on the other side of town, and the YMCA is located JUST far enough away (about 10 blocks or so) for me to justify driving there when I'm in a hurry. On top of that, most of my friends and family either live in the St. Cloud or Twin Cities areas, both of which are 150+ miles round trip for every visit. Not exactly an easy distance on a bike.

My reasons for setting this goal are pretty straightforward. I'm looking for a new challenge to get me out exercising more and I'm hoping to get away from having to rely on my car so much for transportation, which in turn will hopefully save some money on gas.

I wish I could give some grandiose meaning of wanting to promote a cleaner planet or get in the Earth Day spirit (happening on April 22nd, by the way), but that simply wouldn't be true. I'm as earth-conscious as the next person, but my means of conservation are more practical than making bold social statements. I'd rather keeps the lights off and recycle than buy a hybrid car and spend twice as much on organic food.

I've already told myself that I'm not going to cut myself off socially for the sake of this goal. If I feel compelled to visit family and friends during the month of April, I'm going to do it.

I also won't limit my entertainment options, meaning that I'm not going to bypass seeing a band or eating at a cool restaurant because it's too far to bike. The point of a goal is to challenge yourself, not become a hermit (unless in fact that is your goal, in which case more power to you).

Basically, my plan is to keep up with my regular exercise routine and to start using my bike as my main source of in-town transportation. My only exception for Mankato-area commuting will be for donating plasma, as I'm guessing the bike ride home from BioLife would be a little rough after being deprived of protein and water. If I drive up to St. Cloud or the Twin Cities, I will bring my bike with and try to use that to get around town there as well.

You might be wondering why I'm incorporating both biking AND running into this goal. After all, a car is used for commuting, and while a bike can be used for that purpose, running is pretty much exclusively exercise.

The reason for this is simple: So I'm not tempted to slant my cardio workouts to just biking. I plan on running in a race or two this year, and I don't want to take a month off from running if I can help it. Besides, this is really more of a fitness/commuting goal than it is one or the other.

So that's my goal for April. If you see me driving anywhere around Mankato, be sure to yell at me and tell me to stop being lazy.

One indulgence I'm not getting rid of

2011-03-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

When it comes to dieting and fitness, everyone has certain items they give some leeway to.

In my case, that leeway is popcorn.

I won't lie, I'm a bit of a movie fanatic. I love watching them, whether it's action, comedy, drama, romance or Robert De Niro. I have a sizable collection at my apartment, I just signed up for Netflix two weeks ago (either the best or worst thing to happen to me recently) and I'm a regular at the Hy-Vee Red Box down the street. I also take full advantage of the fact that the Maverick 4 (cheap seats) theater in Mankato is within walking distance from my place.

With this love for movies comes a love for snack food to munch on while watching said movies. Like any other movie traditionalist, I enjoy my popcorn while indulging in cinema goodness.

Of course, as you can probably guess, popcorn doesn't exactly jive with my exercise-oriented lifestyle. Most bagged popcorn is pretty reasonable calorie-wise, but it's a high-carb treat and, depending on your need for butter, it can be pretty darn unhealthy. Movie theater popcorn -- and all it's salty, buttery glory -- can be downright artery clogging. (here is a link to the nutritional values of various types of popcorn, some are bad enough to make you gag).

Like anybody else, with summer (hopefully) around the corner, I'm conscious about keeping the weight off in the hopes of having a non-ghastly beach body come July. For the most part, I'm taking the necessary measures to do so. I've halted my late-night snacking habits, I've been avoiding fast foods, and I'm cutting down on trips to the bar (more so a cost-saving measure due to work furloughs, but still). I've also ramped up my exercise schedule lately (just signed up for the 7 at 7 trail race a couple weeks ago, that's keeping me motivated).

I will go to decent lengths to keep myself feeling healthy and fit. However, ditching popcorn isn't one of them. To me, a movie without popcorn is like a car without a radio: still serviceable, but not nearly as enjoyable.

Besides, being healthy doesn't mean much if you're not happy. And without a little indulgence here and there, it can get pretty tough to be happy.

Minnesota featured in a Bicycling article

2011-03-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

Figured I would pass this along to my readers.

While working out on the exercise bike at the Y the other day, I came across this article in Bicycling magazine.

Most editions of the popular cycling publication have a story or two about an interesting or scenic ride one of it's riders partook in. However, since it's a national magazine, most of the rides take place in far-away places that go well beyond the outer reaches of a typical day trip in southern Minnesota. As much as we Minnesotans love to read about scenic bike trips along the California coast, it's not exactly a ride we can experience unless it involves vacation time (or, in my case, furloughs).

That's not the case here. Not only does the ride take place in Minnesota, but it's in an area some would argue to be among the most scenic in the state: the Mississippi River valley along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border.

The story is written by Frank Bures, a Minneapolis-based cyclist who decides that simply showing up at his 20-year high school reunion in Winona isn't a grand enough entrance. He instead decides to bike there all the way from Minneapolis, about a 200-mile trip along some pretty rocky terrain and brutal hills.

This particular stretch of the Mississippi River Trail is actually a pretty popular one among cyclists. Aside from its close proximity to a wealth of bikers residing in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, it offers an ideal mix of scenery and challenge for experienced riders. According to Bures, Greg LeMond trained for the Tour de France in that area.

Aside from Bures deep-seeded resentment for Winona (he portrays the community to be filled with crime and definitely wasn't thrilled about returning to his roots), it's a pretty fun read that will give you some inspiration for day trips to take on a bike this spring.

For myself, his story about climbing Barn's Bluff in Red Wing (apprently a climb Henry David Thoreau made way back when as well) just served as further proof that I really should have spent more time in that town when I visited last fall.

Bike Snob review: He's not so snobby after all

2011-03-21T23:48:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, I'm a late bloomer when it comes to Bike Snob.

The popular, NYC-centered cycling blogger remained off my radar until I came across a review of his book last year. The book, titled "Bike Snob: Systematically and Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling," came in response to his hugely successful blog that has been drawing readership in droves since 2007. Likewise, his book has also been a huge seller.

Unlike health & fitness-centered cycling blogs, the Bike Snob pokes and prods at the cultural aspects of cycling. He's critical of all types of bikes (matter of fact, I'm a little scared to think of what he'd say about my 2-wheeled transport, probably nothing good), rips on hipsters and basically holds nothing back when it comes to daily nuisances that annoy him. The result of which is a rant-filled blog that covers a rainbow of societal topics and makes more movie references than one would care to keep track of.

I don't know how it took me so long to discover this cycling-centric gem (I'm guessing it's because I live in Minnesota and because I do enough reading at work), but I've grown to enjoy the Bike Snob's blogosphere ramblings (check out his blog here). His cultural jabs can be rather biting, but for the most part, it's all good-natured ribbing.

However, a lot of his topics are difficult for me to relate to, as his blog is very urban-oriented and Mankato isn't exactly a sprawling metropolis. He can write about bike messengers all he wants, but I doubt I'm going to spot one cruising on Madison Avenue anytime soon.

By comparison, his book turned out to have a much more positive tone. Instead of poking fun at the foibles of others, he actually does a great deal of poking fun at himself, talking about his early cycling experiences with his BMX bike as a kid and his early career as a bike messenger.

His personal experiences help establish that, at the core of things, the Bike Snob is really a huge cycling enthusiast. He loves bikes and clearly feels strongly about them being one of the world's great inventions. As the Bike Snob puts it, a bike:

"can give you the feeling of freedom and speed you get from riding a motorcycle, the sense of well-being and peace you get from meditating, the health benefits you get from an afternoon in the gym, the sense of self-expression you get from learning to play guitar, and the feeling of victory you get from completing a marathon." (page 11)

In that regard, the book is considerably more accessible than the Snob's blog. Rather than worrying if his social commentary is going to hit close to home, you can sit back and enjoy the writing of a man who loves his bike.

For the novice cyclist, the book serves as an introductory guide for anybody looking to get into biking. There's a brief, wonderfully-lampooned history lesson on the bicycle, a section on the essential repairs all cyclist should be able to do themselves and a few safety tips everyone should adhere to (like looking around for stuff you don't want to run into).

That's not to say the book reads like a "Cycling for Dummies" guide. Instead, the Bike Snob's book seeks to take away some of the fear surrounding cycling by pointing out that bikes are user-friendly machines that everyone can use. You might use the wrong chain lube or fall off the bike a time or two (Lord knows I have), but those are learning experiences you can build off of.

For the experienced cyclist, the book is a reaffirmation of why we love cycling to begin with. It also serves as a wake-up call for people who take themselves too seriously on a bike.

Which brings me to the social commentary aspects of the book. Like his blog, the Bike Snob's book is full of em. However, he keeps his rants brief and the reading pace brisk. There's still a healthy dose of pop culture tidbits (he may have hit max capacity for "Forrest Gump" references and even referenced "Krippindorf's Tribe" at one point), but they never get convoluted to the point of bogging down the points he's trying to make.

Some of his points were pretty thought-provoking as well. I found myself spending the most time on his chapter breaking down all the different types of cyclists, mostly just because I wanted to see which category I fit into.

Like any other well-written, opinion-based work, I found myself disagreeing with the Snob from time to time. He claims cyclists never have the feeling of impotency a motorist has being stuck in traffic, whereas I can attest from my sunburn-filled trip to Blue Earth last summer that it's very possible to feel impotent on a bike. I also take exception with the Snob saying that there's no such thing as a "biking culture." If a cycling-centric event like RAGBRAI isn't a cultural experience, then I don't know what is.

But really, that's half the fun of reading his book if you're an avid cyclist: finding things to disagree on. The Bike Snob has built a name for himself in the blogosphere by expressing his opinion.

There's plenty of opinion in his book, but the joy in reading it doesn't come from his usual social commentary. It comes from his refreshingly-open profession about his love for cycling.

Knee pains = hip problems? You betcha

2011-03-16T13:07:00.001-07:00

While running on a treadmill at the Y the other, I overheard a conversation one gym member was having with another about how knee pains had developed since he recently started running. Even more troublesome: icing his knees seemed to do little to alleviate the pain.

The other person told him that the pains likely weren't from his knees at all, but rather from his hip. More specifically, his IT band (also known as the iliotibial band).

This seemed to confuse the novice runner, and frankly I don't blame him. After all, the pain was in his knees, not his hip.

However, as the photo at right indicates, the IT band indeed connects with the lateral part of your knee, and also goes all the way up to your outer pelvis. Pains associated with IT band syndrome can either be in your hip or your knee, making it a difficult injury to diagnose.

The band, which serves as a connective tissue for your fascia lata (outer thigh muscle), gets utilized during the abduction process of your thigh muscle, an action that occurs with every stride you take while running. IT band syndrome typically occur when athletes suddenly increase their workload without keeping their body (more specifically, their hip) properly limbered up.

Of course, this type of information is hardly common knowledge to the average runner. Matter of fact, the conversation brought back memories of my own struggles early on with marathon training.

For a moment, travel back with me to early 2009. I had just registered for my first marathon in January, which was set to take place in early May.

To put it bluntly, I didn't know what the hell I was doing training-wise. I wasn't necessarily starting from scratch -- jogging had been a hobby of mine long before that -- but my body simply wasn't used to the rigors of 10-12-mile runs. Which, in my great wisdom (not!) was the distance I started running pretty much right away.

As you can probably guess, my legs weren't happy with me. I developed terrible knee pains within the first few weeks and all the icing in the world couldn't dull the pain. I started wondering if my body would ever be able to hold up for 26.2 miles (actually, I still wonder that from time to time, even after two marathons).

So I did what any sensible person would do when they were in pain: I went to the doctor. Aside from the x-rays, the exam took all of 10 minutes for the doctor to tell me that there was nothing structurally wrong with my knees and that it was likely my IT band flaring up.

I had no idea what he was talking about (my first thought was that IT band was some sort of class offered at the college), so he referred me to a physical therapist who basically showed me this and this for stretches to perform on a daily basis. Literally, the physical therapy session took less than 20 minutes. Within a couple weeks, the knee pains were gone and haven't been a big issue since.

While I'm grateful for the information I learned from that experience, I would have preferred learning about it BEFORE accumulating medical/physical therapy bills. I won't go into details, but I will say that it was a hefty sum for a person of my modest earnings.

Which brings me to the point of this post: To help save the novice runners in my readership the time (and money) of going to the doctor. Most injuries suffered by athletes -- IT band syndrome included -- stem from not taking the time to limber up.

So do yourself a favor and don't skimp on stretching. You legs (and your wallet) will thank you for it.

For more on IT band syndrome, here is a link to a sports injury website on the topic. If that wasn't enough for you, here is another website dedicated specifically to the IT band.

Who needs a stairmaster when you've got this?!

2011-03-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make: I've never used a stairmaster.

It seems a little odd, given the health benefits stair climbing has and how I've probably used just about every other machine at the gym at one point or another. But for some reason, I've never felt compelled to give it a go on the bulky cardio machine.

For one thing, the lone stairmaster at the Y is a popular item among gym users; it seems to be in use almost constantly. I've also observed it to be a fairly awkward exercise to get used. More than once, I've seen a stairmaster user take a tumble off the machine as if it were covered in grease. And though I'm fairly confident I have the coordination to handle a simple stairmaster, I'd rather not risk the embarrassment with other people around.

Besides, there are other ways to get a good stair-climbing workout without using the stairmaster. As I've written in the past, Mankato's a wonderful community for hill running. As it turns out, it's also a good town for stair climbing.

At right is a photo of the stairway leading up to Bethany Lutheran College. It begins on 6th St. in Mankato travels up 188 steps (at least by my count) to the campus' Old Main building. And as BLC students can probably attest, it's a doozy of a climb.

I've recently started implementing the stairway into my running routine, reasoning that it's getting nicer outside and that it's good to mix things up once in awhile. It's pretty comparable to that section of Main Street hill for climb difficulty, plus it has all the benefits (improved balance, coordination and leg strength) that a step workout provides.

Most fitness fanatics consider running to be a cardiovascular exercise and stair running to be a combination of cardio and strength training. Thanks to stairways like this, you can get both in during an average outdoor run.

Plus, if you have a Slinky handy, you can also do this when you get to the top of the steps.

Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads

2011-03-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

Fresh off the resounding success of the inaugural Mankato Marathon, Mark Bongers and the staff at Final Stretch decided to add another race for Mankato-area runners to sink their teeth into.

Their newest creation is the 7 at 7 Trail Race, a trail run which will take place on May 15 at Seven Mile Creek Park, which is located off of Highway 169 between Mankato and St. Peter. The race will be ran entirely on the park's trails (though it's unclear which trails will be utilized, or what the course map is) and participants will have the option of running a 7-mile or 5k race. A Kid's 1k will also take place.

Cost for the 7-mile race is $30 until March 15, at which point it goes up to $35. The 5k race is $25/$30 with the same registration deadlines.

This won't be the first time a race has graced the trails of Seven Mile Creek. A 5 at 7 Trail Race took place there in 2008, with Chaun Cox winning the 5.1-mile race in 40:36. (Free Press story here)

Although nobody expects this year's version of the trail race to rival the Mankato Marathon for participation (seriously, can you imagine 5,000 runners in the Seven Mile Creek parking lot?), I'm guessing it will attract more runners than the 22 it drew in 2008. Road races have been growing big-time in popularity over the last few years, and groups like the Mankato Multisport Club have helped establish a healthy running culture (no pun intended) in the area.

Count me in as one of the excited runners for this race. Trail runs in general are a lot easier on the body (more cushion than the road) and Seven Mile Creek seems like the perfect place to hold a race. The honeycomb of river valley trails there are beautiful to walk through, so I imagine they'd be just as beautiful to run through. I've always wanted to run in a trail race, and this event provides a convenient avenue to do so.

If that's not enough, it's going toward a good cause. The race is being done to help raise money for the BackPack Food Program, a Mankato United Way initiative to help ensure that underprivileged kids get nutritious meals when they're not at school.

Morning runs: Who needs sleep when you've got jogging?!

2011-03-04T12:49:00.000-08:00

Despite being an avid runner, I've never been a big fan of the early-morning jog.

It might be the late nights at work; it also might be the fact that "early morning" is a loose term when it comes to my sleep schedule. Whatever the case, my first instinct when I wake up in the morning is to make breakfast, not lace up the running shoes.

Most of my running gets done during the middle of the day or the evening. Not exactly optimal during the dog days of summer (can those please get here soon? Enough of this winter business), but it works for my schedule.

Today would prove to be an exception to the rule.

I knew today was going to be long one. Morning work, plasma donation, and a Friday sports night at the copy desk were all on the agenda. I knew the chances of me sneaking a quick run in before heading to the Free Press were pretty remote. Heck, I'd be lucky just to get a decent nap in somewhere during the day.

So, rather than writing off today as a lost cause exercise-wise, I took the initiative and planned a run at the one time of day it would work in my schedule: Early morning. I set my alarm for 5 a.m., laid out an outfit, and kept my fingers crossed that my mp3 player would hold up in cold weather.

I went to bed feeling excited that I was going to be ambitious with my day. However, when my alarm went off, the excitement was replaced with sheer anger toward the beeping time box.

I attempted to turn the alarm off with my feet and tried to sleep through it, both to no avail. In the end, I decided I might as well do what I set out to accomplish with the morning. I was going on about 4 hours of sleep, but I figured the run would wake me up.

I will say this about the run itself: There was no shortage of points where I thought to myself "You could be sleeping right now in your warm bed, but you're out here. Idiot." There was also numerous occasions where my feet would find themselves splashing in puddles on the sidewalk and getting my feet wet. Add that to having to run through some pretty sizable ice patches along the way, and I can definitely say that I've had better runs in my time.

However, all the resentment about waking up early turned into satisfaction by the end of the run. I ran long enough to feel an ample "runner's high" (nothing too special for a route, just a shade over 5 miles, map here) and my nervousness for the day instead turned into optimism.

They say running is the best form of therapy on a stressful day. Well, it's also the best wake-up call. You might hate yourself for doing it when the alarm first goes off, but you'll be thanking yourself by the end of the run.

I might have to do this more often.

A belated birthday run

2011-02-28T12:35:00.000-08:00

One of the traditions I've had for my birthday for the last several years is to sneak a quick run in at some point during the big day.

Call me cheesy, but I've always been a believer that your birthday should be a day that's all about your enjoyment. You should do things that make you feel happy, and since I feel better after a good run than I do after pretty much any other activity, it only makes sense.

However, this year would prove to be a problem with keeping the tradition alive. My birthday was on Saturday and I spent the weekend in St. Cloud indulging in one of my favorite wintertime activities: darkhouse spearfishing with my brothers.

Saturday itself consisted of about seven hours on a lake, several speared northern pike, and a smattering of empty beer bottles that were once filled with a home-brewed ale I made at my apartment (a new hobby of mine, a lot of fun if you've got the free time for it).

Obviously, with such activities on the agenda, sneaking in a 20 minute run would be a tough task. I had every intention of going out for a run in the morning before spearfishing, but a late bedtime the night before dulled my ambition.

Since we were out on the lake all day, by the time we finally walked off the ice, I was more preoccupied with getting something to eat than with my running tradition. Exhausted from a long day, I went to bed shortly after getting back to Mankato that night.

So my 26th birthday came and went with nary a run among its activities. Not a big deal for most people, but considering I haven't missed a birthday run since my junior year of high school, I woke up the next morning feeling like my day was incomplete.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the heck out of spearfishing and spending time with my brothers. But nobody likes to see a tradition fall by the wayside.

Feeling the need to make up for my broken birthday routine, I made Sunday a workout day chock full of cardio. Collectively, I ran 7 miles, did a 30-minute workout on the rowing machine and squeezed in a few minutes of jump rope.

Was it technically a "birthday run?" No. But like a belated birthday present from a friend, it still made me feel pretty good.

RAGNAR intrigue

2011-02-21T15:43:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I've always enjoyed watching relay races.

I don't know if it's the teamwork, the camaraderie, or the logistics of the hand-off, but relays have a certain drama to them that makes them absolutely riveting. On my high school track & field team, the 4x400 meter relay was usually the last event of the day, and also the one that drew the largest audience.

I've always wanted to do a relay of some sort. Alas, while in track & field, my skills lent themselves to the throwing ring. Likewise, rowing -- my main physical activity in college -- isn't exactly a sport known for relay races. (I would guess the hand-off sequence in a rowing relay would probably involve a lot of near-boat crashes)

I've been in my fair share of road races and triathlons, but none involved doing any sort of relay. It's not that I don't have an interest in doing a relay (obviously). I've just found it to be less hassle to worry about my own workouts instead of trying to coordinate with other people. Anyone who has ever done a group project in class knows what it's like to have lagging members who don't contribute.

However, zero contribution -- and for that matter, racing solo -- isn't an option for something like RAGNAR Relays.

RAGNAR is a nationwide series of relay races featuring distances of roughly 200 miles. The Minnesota version of it is a 24-hour, 192-mile race from Winona to St. Paul that will take place August 19-20. Relay teams can be of either six or 12 people, with each person required to run three "legs" of the race. For the 12-person team, distances for each leg range from 3-8 miles, with teammates swapping in and out of vans throughout the day.

I first heard about RAGNAR a couple of years ago when I talked to a friend who ran it and described it as being like "a slumber party without sleep ... or showers." Needless to say, I was interested almost immediately.

Since I've raced just about every distance I would want to do on my own (I have no interest in ultramarathons ... at least not yet), I have made it my goal to compete in RAGNAR this year. At this point, I'm looking for more of a unique experience than a personal best racing time. RAGNAR seems like the kind of race that would be challenging, but at the same time a lot of fun because it's a shared experience that a group can look back on fondly as something they achieved together.

Of course, competing in RAGNAR is a very different goal than, say, running Grandma's Marathon. For one thing, I need to train for doing several small runs in a day rather than one long run. Another issue: I need to find 11 other people to run with. In my experience, unless it involves free money or food, 11 people is never an easy amount to round up.

I plan on setting up a relay team in two ways: gauging interest from friends, and using the RAGNAR website's team finder feature to make my presence known to other runners. My hope is to have a team set up by the early deadline in May and worry about the training aspects of the race over the summer.

In the meantime, if readers have any advice to give me about RAGNAR (i.e. training ideas, van rentals, stuff to bring, good hotels in Winona and St. Paul, etc.), it would be greatly appreciated.

A welcome weather reprieve

2011-02-19T12:53:00.000-08:00

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

For a brief while this week, Minnesota started to feel an awful lot like spring. Temperatures rose into the low 50s on Thursday and snow gradually started to disappear from the sidewalks and bike trails that are usually difficult passage for cyclists and runners in the wintertime.

I have to admit, I loved every minute of the unseasonably warm weather. With my sickness finally subsided and a full day off on Thursday, my road bike came out of hibernation and I went on my first ride of the year. It wasn't anything too thrilling, just a 20-something mile jaunt toward Good Thunder and back, mostly on Highway 66 (note: the Red Jacket Trail is still pretty covered in snow after the first couple miles). I also came to realize that my bike is badly in need of repairs, a tuneup and probably a wash after all the mud caked on it from the ride (still a little wet out there).

Still, it felt good to get out and ride. I usually don't start riding for another month or so because the skinny tires on my bike can't handle the snow and ice (I've attempted it before, didn't turn out so well, blog entry here), so it was a welcome change of pace from the exercise bikes at the Y.

I later added onto the enjoyment (though some would see it as extending my misery) of that day with a 4-mile run up Glenwood and back. The sidewalk was mostly clear all the way up and I was pleased to find out I wasn't the only one enjoying the weather. Runners, walkers and cyclists alike could be seen out and about. "It's a beautiful day out, isn't it?" one passer-by said to me. "Couldn't agree more," I said back, hoping the weather could stay like this for the rest of winter.

Alas, Thursday's gorgeousness was not meant to stick around. Temperatures have cooled off considerably since then and it's expected to snow 5-10 inches for the remainder of this weekend (really Minnesota? More snow? Haven't we suffered enough?).

Although spring will be here eventually, last time I checked the calendar, it's still the middle of February in Minnesota. We've still got some winter left to endure.

However, I wouldn't mind another day like Thursday sometime soon. I'm sure you wouldn't either.